Politics · United Kingdom · 1 day ago
UK schools urged to adapt buildings and schedules for extreme heat
Daniel Kebede, head of the National Education Union, is urging the UK government to make schools better able to cope with extreme heat.
He says schools should be retrofitted and that officials should consider changing school hours, holidays and exam dates.
The call follows repeated heatwaves this summer, when classroom temperatures topped 40C.
At least 760,000 pupils in England and Wales missed lessons because schools closed, according to the article.
Kebede says many school buildings were designed for a different climate and are not equipped for such heat.
He warns that the disruption falls hardest on children in disadvantaged communities, whose homes may also be difficult to keep cool.
He wants a national discussion about how to keep education going as the climate warms.
Daniel Kebede, leader of the National Education Union, urged the UK government to retrofit schools to cope with extreme heat.
He also called for discussion of changing school hours, holidays and exam dates.
At least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons because of closures during this summer’s June heatwave.
Pupils missed more than 15 million hours of lesson time, according to the article.
Kebede said the effects of heat were particularly severe for children in disadvantaged communities.
- Who
- Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, called for changes to help schools adapt.
- What
- He urged the government to retrofit schools and called for discussion of changes to school schedules and exam timing.
- When
- The call was reported on 11 October 2026, after repeated bouts of extreme heat that summer.
- Where
- The UK; the article gives figures for school closures in England and Wales.
- Why
- Extreme heat disrupted lessons and put pupils and staff at risk, according to Kebede.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
There needs to be a really serious discussion about how we make sure there is the continuity of education in this changed climate
The last time I felt that level of panic in the profession was during the Covid pandemic
There was no learning, just surviving the best we could.
School closures in England and Wales meant at least 760,000 children missed lessons.
The Guardian reported Kebede’s call for school retrofits and changes to schedules and exam timing.
Kebede called for schools to be better equipped ahead of forecast El Niño-charged temperatures.
- Union leader
- Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union
- Missed lessons
- At least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales
- Lost learning time
- More than 15 million hours of lessons
- Heatwave period
- June
- Reported
- 11 October 2026
Sources
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