Classrooms 'too hot' for children and staff

1 hour ago

Paul BurnellNorth West

News image — Schools across the country have had to bring in fans and come up with creative ways to keep pupils cool

BBC Generic shot of a white electric fan in a school classroom, with pupils in the background sitting at desks — Schools across the country have had to bring in fans and come up with creative ways to keep pupils cool

Classrooms in Wirral are becoming "too hot" for teachers and children, with some vomiting and becoming dizzy due to the heat, members of a teachers union have said

A poll of more than 100 National Education Union (NEU) members found 75% of its members saying classrooms were "extremely hot" or "difficult to work in", and temperatures frequently exceeded 34°C indoors.

Michael Farrelly from the NEU said as "pupils are already becoming unwell, this is a serious health and safety issue".

Wirral Council said it had issued guidance to schools on how to deal with the heat, adding: "School buildings across Wirral are very different and it is right that individual schools are making their own decisions."

New records for the hottest day in June were set in England and Wales on Thursday.

Across the country hundreds of schools have chosen to close or finish early during the UK's heatwave after red extreme heat warnings were issued.

In Wirral, the union members reported children with symptoms including vomiting, fainting, dizziness and headaches, struggling to concentrate with some even lying on desks.

Farrelly said a lot of schools were not fit for purpose, adding: "There are even classrooms without a thermometer so how can we properly monitor the heat?"

Schools had relaxed uniform rules to allow children to come to school in their PE kit, he said.

And he praised teachers for their creative responses.

"Only yesterday in one school I visited I saw children cooling their feet in plastic trays teachers had filled with water," said Farrelly.

A Wirral Council spokesman said individual schools were making decisions "based on their own risk assessments".

Earlier this week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson advised parents across the country: "Pack a water bottle, put on the sunscreen, and trust that your child's school has got this."

Temperatures are expected to get cooler later on Friday.

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