Teachers’ leaders said schools should consider cancelling sports day events to protect pupils and staff while a heatwave warning is in place next week. The Met Office has issued an amber warning of 'extreme heat' from Sunday, July 17, to Tuesday, July 19, with temperatures expected to climb to 34C in Greater Manchester and 35C in the South East.
The Met Office said: “Population-wide adverse health effects are likely to be experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potential serious illness or danger to life.” Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the weather will make it “potentially dangerous” for youngsters to take part in physical activity in the sun.
She said children taking part in vigorous physical activity over the coming days are at “risk of heat exhaustion and even heat stroke.” Headteachers will be “checking the local weather forecast and using their professional judgment to cancel or reschedule any activities involving strenuous exercise” for the protection of children and staff.
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James Bowen, policy director for school leaders’ union NAHT, said school leaders will be “thinking carefully” about how to keep pupils and staff as “safe and as comfortable as possible” as temperatures rise. He added: “Whilst there is no legal ‘upper limit’ for temperature in schools, they will certainly be doing all they can to mitigate the effects of such high temperatures.”
Schools will make adjustments such as limiting break times in the sun, ensuring pupils can access additional water, adjusting uniform expectations where appropriate and ventilating classrooms as well as they can, he said. Closing schools due to the heat would be a “last resort,” and such a decision would only be taken where absolutely necessary for the safety of all concerned and following a rigorous and thorough risk assessment.
Bowen urged the government to give thought to improving the state of school buildings if warmer summers are going to become the norm. He said: “As we have learnt during the pandemic, too many are simply not fit for purpose with even basic ventilation being a challenge in some cases.
“Poorly ventilated classrooms are not only inconducive to work but also the perfect environment for transmission of viruses. Whether it is air quality or extreme temperatures, it shouldn’t be too much to ask for school buildings that are conducive to learning all year round.”
Most schools will have already had their sports days as the end of term fast approaches, but in some cases, schools could shorten the length of the sports day or reduce the number of events taking place, Mr Bowen said. “Sadly, in a small number of cases, schools may have no choice but to postpone," he said. He added no-one wants to see schools having to postpone the outdoor events “but the safety of pupils and their families must come first.”
The government has released guidance on how to protect pupils from the heat. The Department of Health and Social Care said that during periods of high temperature, children should not take part in “vigorous physical activity” on very hot days when the temperature is over 30C, and that children should wear loose and light-coloured clothes, and sunhats with wide brims, when playing outside.
Ahead of the amber warning coming into force on Sunday, people are being urged to stay out of the sun in the middle of the day, stay hydrated, look out for vulnerable people, never leave children or pets in a parked car, and keep curtains closed to keep out the sun.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, urged people to check on older relatives, friends and neighbours to see if they needed anything during the high heat. She warned: “Any older person who is already coping with significant health issues, especially if they impact their heart or their lungs, is going to find the coming heatwave a challenge."
The Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse has said the government is preparing for a “surge” in demand on the NHS and other services due to the expected heatwave. After chairing a meeting of the Cobra civil contingencies committee in Whitehall, Mr Malthouse urged the public to look out for people who were particularly vulnerable in the heat.
“The key thing we can do is prepare the Government services for what may be a surge in demand – not least the health service and elsewhere – but also critically communicate that the first line of defence is actually individual behavioural change,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One. “People need to take care, do all the stuff they would do when it is very hot – wear a hat, drink water – but critically also (with) the most vulnerable groups – the elderly, those with cardiovascular problems and the very young – that people look out for them and take care.”
He warned: “The current forecast is that we will be in the mid to high-30s but there is a smaller possibility that we could exceed that and possibly hit 40 which would be an all-time record.”
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