Anger of parents choosing to CLOSE schools over UK heatwave

Parents are hitting schools and daycare centers closing their doors and canceling trips due to the heatwave.

Schools in Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire have decided to close, while others will close before warning temperatures reach 43°C on Monday and Tuesday.

Some sites have allowed students to learn from home as a return to the remote configuration seen during the pandemic.

But parents said the “totally ridiculous” situation led to “chaos” as they had to combine last-minute childcare with work.

It came after Oasis, one of the UK’s largest academic chains, said its schools would remain open and that some institutions’ decision to close was “irresponsible”.

The UK has been virtually hampered by the national emergency, with trains canceled and Luton airport closed due to the runway melting.

According to British health officials, the extreme heat alert poses a risk even to healthy and fit people.

Dr. Renee Hoenderkamp, ​​primary care physician at Christchurch Hall Surgery North London, tweeted that her daughter’s daycare had canceled a trip due to the weather.

“I don’t know why it’s less safe than home,” he said.

Dr. “What should you do as a parent who supposedly needs to go to work,” Hoenderkamp said in response to a tweet from another parent who complained about their child’s daycare closing. said.

Dr. Sarah Rutherford, president of an organizational culture consulting firm, reacted angrily to the “completely ridiculous” decision some schools have taken to close for the afternoon for safety reasons.

He said it was a sign of “greater government oversight and a further diminishing of our inner understanding of what is best for us.”

A father complained on Twitter that his son’s school was closed “unsuitable for working parents”.

Another complained that “schools have come to underestimate parents and their jobs.”

They wrote: ‘If you think those who can work from home can turn a day at the office into a day at home. It doesn’t work like that. It can be very annoying.

“Some schools here have closed early, but parents have yet to operate in the purest chaos,” complained one Twitter user in London.

Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, told The Times: “The decision to close a school at any time has enormous economic and social consequences.

“Many of our children’s homes are very small and warm,” so closing schools would be “incredibly irresponsible.” It will affect poorer families more because they can work remotely and take care of children less at home.

“It’s like a block – it was a classy building – you can’t work remotely if you’re a cleaner or working in a supermarket.”

The heatwave has caused temperatures in the UK to reach 38°C (100°F) today after forecasters gave an 80% chance to beat the UK record of 38.7°C (101.7°F) set in Cambridge in 2019. it happened.

The scorching heat of England from Nassau (32°C) in the Bahamas, Kingston (33°C) in Jamaica, Malaga (28°C) in Spain, Athens (35°C) in Greece C) left it warmer than Albufeira (28°C) in Portugal. ° C) and Dakhla (24 ° C) in Western Sahara. ).

Although temperatures are expected to continue to rise, health directors said there was no public health reason to justify the school closures.

UK government advisers believe school environments that may have air conditioning may actually be cooler.

There is no temperature limit for the closure of schools or workplaces.

The comments from Chalke, whose schools are predominantly in the north of England, came after deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said it was important to protect children’s education during the heatwave.

“We’re approaching the end of the school year,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“But I think it’s crucial that young children get the education they need, especially in the wake of the pandemic, and schools are in a good position to do that.”

Hereford Academy in Herefordshire is a school that announces the early start and end of the school day.

And in east London, Anna Feltham, principal of Clapton Girls’ Academy, said she finished early on Friday because school facilities couldn’t stand the heat.

“Many classes are already too hot, even with fans, and students struggle to stay calm, drink enough water, and stay focused during class,” he said.

“Due to next week’s heat wave, many classrooms will be unbearably hot in the second and fifth lesson.

“We’ve looked at a few options, but we don’t have enough cool rooms to move classrooms.”

Other schools across the country, though not closing their doors, are banning outdoor activities and games, and even gym classes are being demolished to keep kids from overheating.

According to government advice, children are more susceptible to high temperatures than adults because they do not sweat much and therefore are more at risk of developing heat-related illnesses.

While No10 didn’t go so far as to recommend that schools close their doors, it did recommend easing uniform restrictions to help kids stay calm.

If possible, leave windows open overnight and heat generating equipment such as computers should be closed when not in use.

Parts of the country like London are expected to reach 39°C (102.2) today, but forecasters have said temperatures are most likely to exceed 40°C (104°F) tomorrow.

Education is just one of the places where the heatwave has taken the UK by storm.

The Luton airport runway was closed today due to a “surface defect” during the heat. A Luton spokesperson told MailOnline that technicians have been called to the site and repairs are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Wales recorded its hottest day on record. The Met Office confirmed that Hawarden in Flintshire had reached 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) this afternoon, with an all-time high of 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) in Wales at the same location in 1990.

Due to serious warnings that fit and healthy people could die from the heat, trains were canceled and GP practices were closed as the tracks began to open.

Emergency services urged swimmers who want to cool off to stay away from lakes and rivers in case of problems.