Classrooms breached recommended temperatures during heatwave
Classrooms hit nearly 30C during last month’s heatwave and caused some pupils to vomit and faint, a study has found.
Research by Round Our Way, a climate campaign group, said pupils now face “worryingly hot temperatures” during the school day as global warming drives extreme weather spells.
A study by the group showed classrooms breached a recommended maximum temperature of 26C during the recent heatwave in late June.
Researchers placed sensors in seven schools across England last month when the UK Health Security Agency issued a three-day yellow heat health alert for most of the country.
Six schools exceeded maximum temperature advice at one or more points during the heatwave.
A classroom in Cambridge came the closest to hitting the 30C mark after recording a temperature of 29.6C on 26 June. It exceeded the outdoor temperature of 27.3 at the time.
Roger Harding, director of Round Our Way, a non-profit group supporting people impacted by climate change, said: “This data reveals the worryingly hot temperatures our children are starting to face in the classroom thanks to climate change.
“Hard-pressed teachers have told us about children this summer who have fainted or even vomited due to the high heat, and there are many more who simply struggle to concentrate.”
There is no official temperature limit for schools, offices or other workplaces, but the National Education Union advises a maximum indoor working temperature of 26C for schools.
Mr Harding warned that schools were not set up or funded to deal with the higher temperatures witnessed as a result of climate change, pointing to data showing they often exceeded outdoor temperatures.
“The weather used to just be small talk but we now need our political leaders to ensure the country is better prepared for more extreme weather and to tackle the fossil fuel pollution that is causing it in the first place,” he said.
Teachers at schools that participated in the study said soaring classroom temperatures were beginning to have significant effects on pupils.
Emma, a secondary school teacher in Dorset, said three pupils “lost consciousness and actually fainted. Two were sent home and were off for 24 hours”.
Analysis by the Met Office published this week suggested climate change is dramatically increasing the frequency of extreme high temperatures in the UK.
Its annual State of the Climate report claimed there has been a rapid increase in record-breaking warm temperatures in recent years, while there have been virtually no new records for cool weather.