The gruelling heatwave that hit the UK in June caused pupils to miss more than 15m hours of lesson time as soaring temperatures forced hundreds of schools to close, according to a study.
The research found that at least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons owing to closures during the heatwave – one of five to batter the UK this summer – as temperatures inside some classrooms topped 40C, leaving pupils and staff suffering from heat stress, nausea and headaches.
“Staff and pupils were fainting and at least one of my colleagues was taken to A&E,” said Jenny Cooper, a teacher and National Education Union safety representative for London at the time of the heatwave. “Schools need to be be places where we can learn and teach safely. A place for children whose homes are not safe … these heatwaves and the lack of investment in schools are jeopardising this.”
The heatwave lasted for eight days and triggered a red health alert across many parts of the UK, with hospitals forced to cancel operations, workplaces shortening hours, and people warned not to travel. There were nearly 2,900 excess deaths caused by the May and June heatwaves.
The research by DeSmog, based on reported school closures and official absence rates, gives the clearest picture to date of the impact of heatwaves on schools. It found that during the June heatwave pupils in England and Wales missed at least 15m teaching hours with more than 1,700 schools closing completely or finishing early.
School staff told the Guardian that learning was almost impossible as temperature records for June were broken, with pupil behaviour and attention deteriorating rapidly.
One primary school teacher said: “Everyone was lying or sitting on the floor with their water bottles, sweating, moaning and feeling tired, [complaining of] headaches and nausea.
“The adults barely coped and most of the children were calling for their mummies and daddies. There was no learning, just surviving the best we could.”
Where schools did remain open, the report found that absence rates soared as parents decided it was safer to keep children at home. One parent told DeSmog she took her five-year-old child out of school after pupils returned home with severe heat rashes.
Experts warn that this level of disruption in schools can have a big affect on children’s education and wellbeing and the wider community – especially for those from more deprived backgrounds.
Nicola Gray, from the University of Huddersfield, who led research into the impact of school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, said missed school days could come at high costs – from lower exam results to poorer mental health.
“School provides basic social services, social connection, and nutrition [through free school meals],” she said. “We do not want the education and training of our students to dip precisely at the time when they’re going to need new skills and the best possible futures in a changing climate.”
Charlotte O’Regan, from the education charity the Sutton Trust, said the closures put students in the most deprived areas at a disadvantage.
“While some schools or parent organisations are able to pay to ensure that their environments are suitable for study, we know that state school leaders are already having to face difficult decisions when it comes to funding,” said O’Regan.
“We saw a significant widening of the attainment gap during the pandemic, and we have to make sure that the weather doesn’t become yet another barrier holding back those worst off.”
Parents, staff, and academics agree that rapid adaptations are needed in schools to keep children safe and able to study – especially with even more extreme temperatures expected next year due to the worsening climate crisis and the super charged El Niiño.
Cooper, who retired from teaching in September, said: “We really need a complete rethink of our school system. Schools must be properly funded so they can prepare for the rapidly changing climate.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said hot weather could “be a struggle”, adding: “Schools did a fantastic job keeping children learning safely during this summer’s heatwave. Schools put measures in place, so they remained the best place for children to be, even during a heatwave – because every day in school counts.”
They added the department was “investing to make schools more resilient to a changing climate – including through a £710m renewal and retrofit programme and almost £20bn to rebuild over 750 schools.”
DeSmog collected information on more than 1,700 affected schools based on dozens of national and local news reports and with the help of AI. This information was then analysed using census data to calculate the total number of students affected by closures..
The researchers also analysed government data on pupil absences during the heatwave, revealing a major increase in students missing school time in England and Wales.
