This summer, classrooms across the UK have experienced unbearable temperatures due to recurring heatwaves, leading to widespread discomfort for pupils and teachers and even forcing some schools to close. The issue has sparked extensive discussions among parents, educators, and governors, all seeking effective strategies to manage the heat.
While long-term governmental and local authority action is widely acknowledged as necessary to equip schools for a climate impacted by ongoing fossil fuel use, immediate steps can be taken by parents and teachers. The first recommendation for parents is to approach schools constructively, rather than assuming inaction. Headteachers are often managing multiple pressures, including significant financial constraints, making a collaborative discussion essential. Forming a small group linked to the parent-teacher association can effectively highlight that overheating is a shared concern.
For schools, consulting their local authority, foundation, or academy trust is a crucial next step. These bodies often have dedicated sustainability or climate resilience teams that can offer valuable support. Polly Turton from Shade the UK, a community interest company specialising in adapting buildings to warmer climates, emphasises that extreme heat is now a public health, safeguarding, and educational concern, not merely a facilities issue. She advocates for integrating it into broader school resilience planning.
Before committing funds to physical interventions, Turton stresses the importance of understanding the root cause of overheating. Without a proper assessment, schools risk making ineffective investments, such as installing oversized or poorly located air conditioning units, or inappropriate shading. Such missteps can lead to significant waste of limited school budgets. Local authorities, trade unions, and various third-sector organisations can provide expert advice to help schools make informed, evidence-based decisions.
The choice between indoor and outdoor cooling measures depends on the specific cause of the overheating. Outdoor interventions, such as planting trees, installing external shading, and reducing heat-absorbing surfaces, are often highly effective as they prevent heat from entering the building in the first place, and can also enhance outdoor learning and play areas. However, overheating in schools isn't always due to direct sunlight; factors like poor ventilation, restricted window openings, or internal heat sources like boiler rooms, combined with the heat generated by many children in one space, can all contribute. Funding remains a significant hurdle, though some schools may access support through local authority programmes, capital improvement grants, or developer contributions via Section 106 agreements, which Shade the UK is actively promoting.