U.K. schools close as heat wave exposes climate-ready building gaps

More than 1,000 schools across the U.K. closed as Europe’s latest record-breaking heat wave pushed classrooms past safe working conditions. In Wales, teacher Mark Morris said his design and technology classes became impossible to run when temperatures reached 35.9C, with no air conditioning, few or no fans and windows that opened only slightly.

The Met Office warned in June that temperatures could reach 38C in parts of the U.K. and 35C in southeast Wales, with Tropical Nights possible. The country later hit 37C, the hottest June day on record, and on June 30 the Met Office said multiple U.K. temperature records were provisionally broken or equalled during the month.

England’s education department said on February 24 that good ventilation is essential for healthy and productive learning environments. Its June hot-weather guidance said schools should remain open where safe to do so, letting as many children attend as possible.

Around 700,000 pupils attend a school needing major rebuilding or refurbishment, the National Audit Office said. More than a third of English school buildings are past their estimated initial design life, which it puts at 60 to 80 years for non-system-built buildings and 30 to 40 years for system-built buildings. The National Audit Office has warned that overall building condition is declining after years of underinvestment.

The Department for Education has since moved toward an Education Estates Strategy and a Renewal and Retrofit Programme intended to improve building condition and climate resilience, including replacing the worst temporary buildings and adding energy-efficiency measures.

The National Education Union wrote to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on June 25, saying extreme heat was not business as usual for education and warning that it affects concentration and poses health risks, especially for pregnant staff and people with underlying conditions. The Association of School and College Leaders called the department’s message to closed schools “thoughtless and patronising.”

In London, a climate adaptation report found children, especially very young children and those with special educational needs or pre-existing health conditions, are vulnerable to overheating, flooding and water scarcity. A London climate-resilience programme is working with 95 schools identified as most exposed and vulnerable to those risks.