School closure due to heat

Tuliptree

Bellasnana

Why is it always the UK that makes such a huge fuss about extremes of temperature? The weather never seems to be right for some people, they moan about the cold, the rain, the snow, the sun whereas in other countries we just get on with it.

It is 37°C here today with 80% humidity but the schools are open and it will be the same in countless other hot countries the world over, and, no, they won’t all have a/c or shorter hours.

Common sense seems to have gone out the window. I usually sit on my hands and say nothing but I’m fed up of hearing about it.

It’s not just the UK
www.euronews.com/2026/06/22/school-closures-alcohol-bans-and-slow-trains-how-europes-heatwave-is-shutting-down-daily-l
Also how well equipped are your schools for dealing with the heat and what hours do children attend? But basically you are completely wrong in what you post about us - check your facts before you rubbish us.

You can tell Bellasnana, or anyone on GN, off in a polite way, Tuliptree, without adding that nasty final line.

How did we ever manage as kids !!! I don’t think my school ever closed come heat, snow, ice or illnesses

Totally agree Bellasnana we are a country of moaners nothings ever right we can’t seem to handle anything without moaning
Tuliptree you are very curt Bellasnana was giving her opinion which she’s entitled to

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Oh dear Bluebelle I rest my case.

You can rest whatever you want Tuliptree it costs nothing to be polite even when you are right

BlueBelle

You can rest whatever you want Tuliptree it costs nothing to be polite even when you are right

Perhaps you could point out all the politeness in Bellanana’s post? Clearly two sets of standards in operation here,

Bellasnana’s DD is a teacher in Malta.

I have never seen a post from her which is not polite, even on this thread.

I share her frustration with regards to the U.K.’s response to curve balls whether it be a hot day, centimetre of snow, leaves in autumn (rail tracks)

Two schools in the same road, one allowing children to go home at lunchtime, one carrying on as normal. There is no across the board working.

GrannyGravy13

Bellasnana’s DD is a teacher in Malta.

I have never seen a post from her which is not polite, even on this thread.

I share her frustration with regards to the U.K.’s response to curve balls whether it be a hot day, centimetre of snow, leaves in autumn (rail tracks)

Two schools in the same road, one allowing children to go home at lunchtime, one carrying on as normal. There is no across the board working.

As she’s a teacher there, she must know about the complaints over the years about the heat and schools and know about the hundreds of air conditioning units installed. It’s a matter of opinion as to her post being polite but imo it wasn’t and my robust responses was deserved as was my comment about her being factually wrong about other countries.

Comparing the heatwave in 1976 with the one we are having now is actually a bit of a nonsense. It's not just the temperature which affects us, the level of humidity is also very relevant. In 1976 we had high temperatures with low humidity, this week we are experiencing high temperatures with very high humidity and that makes a massive difference to how our bodies cope. I have a daughter currently living on the Sinai coast of Egypt. The temp there is currently a bit higher than here but the humidity is low and there is always a breeze to move the air. She also has air con in all her rooms and is quite comfortable in this heat. I, however, find this high temp and humidity totally draining and am aware that my heart is having to work harder as my base HR is significantly higher than normal.

I agree Bellasnana that the UK makes an unnecessary fuss about the weather and not just about what's happening here but in other countries. Do France and Italy for example, talk about the UK's weather on their news programs?

I don't agree that Tuliptree's response was nasty, curt or impolite but robust and we see plenty of robust responses on GN.

Of course we do. It's part of being British. Our weather is changeable and erratic.
And it gives us something to talk about.

Two weeks ago we had large frozen hail fall on us. It is hard for any person in the UK to adapt so quickly to the extreme changes in temperature. Many bodies just don`t cope with fast adaptation, hence the safety in shutting schools. The sudden weather change to very hot is actually very dangerous to bodily systems and precautions are needed

40 years living in a country that is always hot, naturally the body does adapt so there is not much chat about weather and of course property is built to accommodate hot weather.

Snapping back at the UK was not nice and I am surprised at Bella

I don't usually watch daytime TV, but holed up behind shutters in 42 degrees, I've nothing else to do!

So yes, France talks about the weather on their news programmes. At the moment they're desperately worried about forest fires as far north as Normandy.
Also, in Brittany it is reported on tv that 68000 homes are without electricity, and emergency measures are in place.

In some respects the French talk about the weather in a more practical manner on tv, with constant updates as to how to cope with the heat. Even the French Prime Minister has been filmed on tv assuring the residents of France and thanking the emergency service.

And the Education Minuster is now on tv explaining what is happening.

GrannyGravy13

Bellasnana’s DD is a teacher in Malta.

I have never seen a post from her which is not polite, even on this thread.

I share her frustration with regards to the U.K.’s response to curve balls whether it be a hot day, centimetre of snow, leaves in autumn (rail tracks)

Two schools in the same road, one allowing children to go home at lunchtime, one carrying on as normal. There is no across the board working.

Two schools in the same road presumably aren't identical (though I assume they're the same age group) Building materials are different. Were they built at the same time? Different sized windows facing different ways? Even having a tarmac playground outside your window can make a difference, rather than grass.
Little forward planning (or thought for that matter) goes into building a new school. Look at the RAAC crisis. Trust me I've been there - twice

I am extremely uncomfortable that a longstanding GN member is being vilified for daring to give her opinion.

One which I totally agree with by the way.

Having a family home in a Mediterranean country, sibling at school without air conditioning. I also have experience of hot

If this is global warming, then we just have to crack on, we cannot stop the country according to the climate.

This thread is in chat!

GrannyGravy13

I am extremely uncomfortable that a longstanding GN member is being vilified for daring to give her opinion.

One which I totally agree with by the way.

Having a family home in a Mediterranean country, sibling at school without air conditioning. I also have experience of hot

If this is global warming, then we just have to crack on, we cannot stop the country according to the climate.

This thread is in chat!

For goodness sake. Firstly it doesn’t matter how long BN has been a member. And vilified? A bit OTT. She criticised the UKs response with an opinion based on a completely false premise. And if you agree with her false facts about the response of other countries then you might be accused of vilifying other members ( whose length of membership I do not know or care about) who have posted otherwise.

And since when has the forum a thread is on determined whether false information can be called out?

FWIW, I've just taken my SATs reading with an oximeter, I'm usually in the 98/99% level but today sitting in my kitchen, which is the coolest part of the house my SATs are 93%. Why? High temperature + high humidity. I'm fine but if I was in a very hot and humid room for several hours, I suspect I wouldn't be although generally I'm fitter than most people in their late 70's. We currently have contractors in making hay from our land. They have huge modern tractors with air con so they'll be OK but it would be impossible to do the job as it was done a few years ago with open tractors and the manual handling of bales. This weather is unlike the hot summer days we have experienced in the past and we are going to have to adapt our working practices to accommodate it.
"The main reasons include:The Oxygen Dissociation Curve: Increased core body temperature shifts this curve—which measures the relationship between hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen and blood pressure—to the right, reducing hemoglobin's overall affinity for oxygen and resulting in lower SpO2 readings.
High Humidity & Air Density: Warm, humid air is less dense and holds more water vapor, leaving less room for oxygen molecules per breath. This makes your lungs work significantly harder to deliver the same amount of oxygen to your tissues.
Increased Vasodilation: To dissipate heat, your blood vessels dilate, causing a drop in central blood volume and forcing your heart to work harder, placing extra physical strain on your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Dehydration: Sweating and fluid loss can cause your blood pressure to drop and dry out your bronchial tubes, leading to shortness of breath" AI generated

Countries where very hot weather is usual, are better adapted, such as smaller windows ( with shades) ( or none on the sunny side), shaded courtyards, ceiling fans to move air- tree lined avenues , window bars so windows can be fully opened ( inwards) without security risks. ( I love ceiling fans having lived in Queensland!)
The main difficulty for us in the UK is the sudden change from walking around in warm coats and protecting plants from frost (less than a fortnight ago), so our bodies are unadapted as well as our homes and schools!

"Hitzefrei" (schools closing when it gets too hot) has always been a thing in Germany. DH remembers from when he was at school. They even have a word for it. I'm not sure what they do to cover for working parents.I'll see if I can find out.

Calendargirl

Our grammar school in the 60’s had a summer and winter uniform.

The summer one for the girls was a striped white and green cotton dress, you had to buy the material and someone had to make it. Plus white ankle socks and Clark’s sandals.

I think only the first, second and third formers wore them, the older girls just wore winter uniform, as did all the boys.

No question of wearing PE kit, navy knickers and aertex tee shirt. .

I think the key word is 'cotton'. The summer dress DGD wears is in part man-made fabric. Aertex tops are cotton, and baggy too.

Secondary schools don't have summer uniform, and again, a lot of their uniform is man-made for ease of washing and drying.

Chardy the two senior schools near here are allowing pupils to wear their PE kits this week.

They look so smart, in fact they are better turned out than when wearing their everyday uniforms.

Tuliptree

nanna8

They don’t close schools here even when it is 40 C plus. They probably have better ways of dealing with the heat,though.

That’s probably true. Here some of our children are in prefab buildings which will be like ovens at the moment or 1960s badly built blocks with lots of windows and no or inefficient blinds.

One classroom I taught in (late 80s) was freezing in winter, boiling in summer with south facing windows. It was upstairs in a ROSLA block (which were built in early 70s in most secondary schools to cope with increase in school leaving age to 16). I found out later that the builders overspent and the 'external wall' of the classroom was a piece thin fascia board. They'd put in no insulation, no internal wall.
I've just checked the website, the block is still there. I long to contact the school and find out if, 37 years later, the problem has been remedied!
Btw those pupils are going home at lunchtime today!

GrannyGravy13

Chardy the two senior schools near here are allowing pupils to wear their PE kits this week.

They look so smart, in fact they are better turned out than when wearing their everyday uniforms.

Lol