Repeated heatwaves this summer caused classroom temperatures to reach uncomfortable levels across the UK, resulting in numerous school closures and prompting widespread concern among parents, teachers, and school governors about how to address the issue going forward.
Experts emphasize that while long-term solutions require action from governments and local authorities to prepare schools for changing climate conditions, immediate steps can be taken by school communities. Parents are advised to approach schools constructively about cooling concerns, ideally by coordinating with other families through parent-teacher associations to demonstrate broader support for addressing the problem. Schools should engage with their local authorities, trusts, or sustainability teams that may already have climate resilience expertise available.
Before implementing expensive interventions, schools must first conduct proper assessments to identify the specific causes of overheating in their buildings. While direct sunlight drives overheating in most homes, school buildings face additional heat sources including large numbers of occupants, poor ventilation, restricted window opening, and proximity to boilers or other heat-generating equipment. Rushing into air conditioning installations or other costly measures without understanding root causes risks wasting limited school budgets on ineffective solutions.
Outdoor interventions often provide an effective starting point, as preventing heat from entering buildings typically works better than removing it afterward. Tree planting, external shading, painting surfaces white, and reducing heat-absorbing materials can deliver multiple benefits including improved outdoor learning spaces. Grants and funding remain significant challenges, though some schools may access support through local authority programs, trust investments, or capital improvement schemes. Developer contributions and section 106 agreements represent potential funding sources. While parent fundraising can support modest interventions like tree planting or temporary structures, relying primarily on community fundraising risks deepening inequalities between schools in affluent versus disadvantaged areas.
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