\u201cNo one seems to know how to cool the buildings,\u201d said one teacher. \u201cChanges to the fabric of the building and the planting of trees instead of the hot expanse of the playground are needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked three years in much hotter countries, but they had four ceiling fans in each room and rules about windows\/blinds\/doors that created a livable environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year western Europe<\/a> has been hit by its hottest June on record as the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis accelerates.<\/p>\n The UK entered its third heatwave of the year this week with temperatures peaking at 35C<\/a>. The current high temperatures are expected to drag out over a sweltering 10 days and the oppressive heat on land has been accompanied by high global ocean temperatures<\/a> that experts warn could cause \u201cmass-mortality events\u201d for some species.<\/p>\n The extreme weather led to more than 1,000 schools in England and Wales either closing or partly closing at the peak of the June heatwave<\/a>, according to figures compiled at the time by PA Media.<\/p>\n Department for Education (DfE) statistics show one in five sessions of school in England were missed \u2013 the highest daily absence rate so far during the 2025-26 academic year.<\/p>\n Experts say closing so many schools puts pressure on the entire community and the economy.<\/p>\n The Round Our Way<\/a> group estimated that the economic cost of the June heatwave was between \u00a3100m and \u00a3200m. It said its impact rippled out beyond schools and teachers to parents, who might have had to take time off work, and the wider community.<\/p>\n Roger Harding, the group\u2019s co-director, said it could not be left to individual schools and teachers to try to cope with the realities of the climate crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to see a plan from government to protect people, including children in school, when extreme weather hits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Down to Earth<\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cThis needs to go hand-in-hand with measures to cut the pollution causing this climate change in the first place to ensure this extreme weather doesn\u2019t get worse and worse.\u201d<\/p>\n A survey of 1,000 UK parents carried out on behalf of Round Our Way found that during June\u2019s heatwave more than half had one or more child miss at least a day of school; 40% reported children coming home overheated and exhausted; 46% said their children were unable to play outside because it was too hot; and almost two-thirds said summers in the UK were \u201cstarting to feel genuinely unsafe for children\u201d.<\/p>\n Teachers were asked about the impact of the June heatwave in a survey carried out by Round Our Way in partnership with the UK\u2019s biggest education union, the National Education Union (NEU).<\/p>\n Jenny Cooper, a teacher and NEU safety rep for London, said recent heatwaves had taken a severe toll on the capital\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard of colleagues fainting, others shared photos of thermometers in their classrooms showing way over 10 degrees above safe working levels,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur schools should be places where we can learn and teach safely. A place for children whose homes are not safe. Extreme heat<\/a> and other climate impacts are jeopardising this.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782402554_536_500.jpg\")
<\/p>\n