An analysis of the UK's failure to plan for the impacts of the climate crisis is starkly illustrated by Beaconsfield primary school in west London, where a building over 100 years old handles extreme temperatures better than a neighbouring structure built less than 10 years ago.
Older buildings outperform newer designs
Dave Woods, headteacher of Beaconsfield primary school, explained the disparity: “I’ve got two buildings on my site – the older building is a Victorian-Edwardian-style building. It’s roughly 130 years old. That building is constructed with solid brickwork, very thick walls. It stays warm in winter and in summer it tends to keep the heat out so it is cooler inside. Even this week it’s starting to get uncomfortable but it’s still tolerable.”
“The school’s newer building was constructed in 2017, following the Department for Education’s (DfE) building design guidance in place then, and it’s extremely hot all the time. Even before the peak of the heat arrived we’ve already had classes using empty spaces in the older building just so they could get some respite.”
Modern schools built like greenhouses
Woods, who began his teaching career in Sydney, Australia, where schools are designed for high temperatures, noted that some of the worst affected schools this week were built in the 2000s, despite growing awareness of climate risks. He described a colleague's school with “enclosed glass walkways, an enclosed fully glass atrium, a glass canopy over the top of their dining room, and a whole glazed side of the PE hall that is south facing. Basically it’s a school that has been set up as a greenhouse.”
The Building Schools for the Future programme, initiated by Tony Blair, aimed to replace Victorian-era schools with modern architecture but lacked basic heat mitigation measures.
Government failure to adapt
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the government's statutory advisers, recently found all adaptation plans for extreme weather “not fit for purpose.” They highlighted education as a problem area and recommended fitting all schools with air conditioning by 2050, though the government is not obliged to accept this. The CCC also suggested reconsidering the school year, as high temperatures affect learning and sleep.
In England, the DfE announced nearly £20bn investment in the school rebuilding programme through 2035 to overhaul over 750 schools and sixth-form colleges. A new “renewal and retrofit” programme worth £710m aims to increase climate resilience by 2030. However, with more than 22,000 state schools and colleges, billions more are needed.
Urgent action needed
Dr Thomas Roberts, senior lecturer in environmental sociology and weather health researcher at the University of Surrey, stated: “Climate adaptation is no longer something we need to prepare for in the future. It is something we need to be doing now.”
