‘Children were calling for their mummies’: UK pupils struggle in 40C-plus classrooms
UK schools are struggling to manage extreme heat as classrooms reach temperatures exceeding 40C. Teachers are calling for urgent infrastructure upgrades, such as air conditioning, to protect student health.
Why it matters
Climate change is increasingly impacting public infrastructure, necessitating expensive adaptations for schools and other public buildings.
Primary school pupils in London. Children have been struggling to cope with the recent excessive heat. Primary school pupils in London. Children have been struggling to cope with the recent excessive heat. Schools ‘Children were calling for their mummies’: UK pupils struggle in 40C-plus classrooms Teachers call for schools to be urgently adapted for hot weather amid reports of nausea, fainting and heatstroke
Prefer the Guardian on Google T he extreme heat that has hit the UK twice in the past few weeks has left teachers struggling to cope as temperatures in some classrooms climb above 40C, with pupils and staff suffering from heatstroke, nausea and headaches.
Teachers say they have been desperately trying to keep children safe, with some covering younger pupils in wet paper towels as they lie on the floor, while older students have been given trays of water under their desks to put their feet in.
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