Schools close as temperatures soar

Strand on the Green Infants School closed because of the heat

Some schools close because of the heat, some are open as usual, others are telling parents they can pick their children up early

Schools in Chiswick are among those across London which have decided to close or work shorter hours during the extreme heat.

Most schools stuck it out until Wednesday, when the temperature rose to 36.0C in the afternoon, recorded at Wisley, Surrey, setting a new June temperature record for the UK.

READ ALSO: June heat record broken again, and no it’s not just another hot summer like 1976

Grove Park Primary School was closed on Thursday and is closed again today, as is Strand on the Green Infants School. At Grove Park the PTA acted to order air conditioning units, but they failed to arrive.

Belmont Primary School

Wednesday was so hot “you just couldn’t think straight”

Belmont Primary School was also closed on Thursday and is closed again today. Business manager Kirsty Kierzkowski told The Chiswick Calendar:

“In the lead up to Wednesday I thought maybe people were being a little dramatic, but when Wednesday came it was unbearably hot. I work in the office, and you just couldn’t think straight”.

At Belmont they measure the CO2 levels in the classrooms, and she said not only were the classrooms too hot, but the CO2 levels were high, so they felt closing the school was the safest option.

“I know that makes life difficult for some parents but at the end of the day we aren’t childcare provision, we’re an educational facility”.

Laura Ellener, Head Teacher Chiswick School

Getting to school by public transport more of a problem for secondary school children

Chiswick School is also closed.

“There are staff in the building and children are welcome to come to school if they want to”, Head Teacher Laura Ellener told me. “But there are zero children here”.

Chiswick School has some air conditioning, but not enough to accommodate 1,600 children in air-conditioned spaces. They tried, she said, until Wednesday, but the heat became too much.

“For us it was more the problem of children getting here with the problems on public transport”, she said.

READ ALSO: South Western Railway advises customers to travel only if essential on Wednesday and Thursday, as extreme heatwave hits UK

“The last thing I want is for a member of staff or a student to be taken to hospital. We have not had one parent who has said we should be open”.

READ ALSO: London Ambulance Service responds to record number of life-threatening emergencies

Across the borough of Hounslow schools are coping in different ways, some telling parents to pick their children up at 11.00am, some at 1.30pm.

At Strand on the Green Junior School staff are doing a daily risk assessment and letting parents know each evening how it’s looking for the next day. They have remained open but since Tuesday have given parents the option of picking their children up at 1.30pm, which many have chosen to do.

All children are required to come to school with a water bottle, sun creamed and wearing a hat.

William Hogarth School; a shady spot in the playground

William Hogarth School has remained open at the normal times.

They have moved a couple of classes from classrooms which are in direct sunlight into the hall to make use of the cooler spaces within the school building, and outside in there are sprinklers and plenty of shady spots where the children can stay cool, so they have not needed to close. Children can come to school in PE kit if they wish.