UK teachers are struggling to cope as classroom temperatures exceed 40°C during recent heatwaves, with pupils and staff experiencing heatstroke, nausea, and headaches. Some teachers have covered younger children in wet paper towels, while older students have been given trays of water to cool their feet. Learning has become nearly impossible, with attention and behavior deteriorating rapidly.
Teachers and pupils fainting
Some teachers and pupils have fainted, and staff have purchased fans and window shades out of their own pockets. 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.”
Many school buildings are old, poorly insulated, and lack air conditioning. Playgrounds with artificial grass or concrete exacerbate the heat. In May, the government’s climate advisers recommended installing air conditioning in all schools within 25 years, stating the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists.”
Widespread school closures
During the June heatwave, over 1,000 schools in England and Wales closed or partially closed, according to PA Media. Department for Education statistics show one in five school sessions were missed, the highest daily absence rate for the 2025-26 academic year. Experts say such closures strain communities and the economy. The Round Our Way group estimated the economic cost of the June heatwave at between £100m and £200m.
Roger Harding, co-director of Round Our Way, said: “We need to see a plan from government to protect people, including children in school, when extreme weather hits. This 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’t get worse and worse.”
Parent and teacher surveys
A survey of 1,000 UK parents by Round Our Way found that during June’s 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 children couldn’t play outside due to heat; and almost two-thirds felt UK summers were “starting to feel genuinely unsafe for children.”
Jenny Cooper, a teacher and National Education Union safety rep for London, said: “I heard of colleagues fainting, others shared photos of thermometers in their classrooms showing way over 10 degrees above safe working levels. Our schools should be places where we can learn and teach safely.”
Medical and climate concerns
Lorna Powell, an NHS urgent care doctor and co-director of Mothers Rise Up, said the recent heat had been frightening. “Most people I know don’t really think or talk about climate change. But when our primary school closed in June, it became a regular topic of conversation. One mother said to me: ‘We just didn’t have summers like this when we were young, did we?’”
A Department for Education spokesperson said schools are responsible for deciding whether to remain open but should do so “wherever possible.” They added: “Schools have well-established measures to manage hot weather, including ensuring children stay hydrated, adapting uniforms where appropriate and avoiding strenuous activity during the hottest parts of the day.”
