Several schools across London are closing early or shutting entirely as a rare red warning for extreme heat, expected to hit record June highs, takes effect. Temperatures are forecast to reach around 37°C on Thursday, posing health risks and potentially disrupting public transport.
Met Office issues red warning
The Met Office issued a heat alert covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, effective from 9am to 9pm on Thursday. The highest temperature recorded on Tuesday was 34.6°C in Wisley, Surrey, according to the weather authority. Thursday's temperature could approach the UK's all-time high of 40.3°C, measured in July 2022.
Schools take action
Headteachers in London and across the UK have decided to close schools temporarily. In some cases, children have been told they can wear PE kit instead of full uniform, which typically includes long trousers and blazers. Some after-school clubs and trips have also been cancelled.
Sydenham School in Lewisham is closing at 12:15pm on Wednesday and Thursday. In a letter to parents, head teacher Emma Wijnberg said: "I am writing to inform you of some important changes to our school schedule due to the extreme heat forecast this week. All students in Year 7, 8 and 9 will be dismissed at 12:15pm on these days. Students are expected to make their own travel arrangements to return home safely. Year 10 and Year 12 students will be dismissed after their Period 3 exams have finished. Year 10 parents will shortly receive a separate email about the rearrangements for afternoon exams this week. We will provide supervision for any students who are unable to leave at 12:15pm." She added that the Battle of the Bands event scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled and rescheduled to July 1.
Fielding Primary School and Nursery in Ealing will remain closed all day Wednesday and Thursday, reopening on Friday. A message on the school website reads: "School, ARP and Nursery close at midday on Tuesday 23rd June, all day Wednesday 24th and all day Thursday 25th June. School reopens on Friday 26th June. We are closing as a result of the red weather warning for extreme heat. We appreciate that many families will be managing children at home in very challenging temperatures. Therefore, our approach to remote learning will be deliberately simple, flexible and focused on keeping children connected with their teachers and classmates, rather than trying to replicate a normal school day."
Cheam High School in Sutton is running compressed days from Wednesday to Friday, from 8:30am to 1:10pm. The school website states: "With it expected to reach up to 37 degrees outside, many classroom spaces will become hotter than this, especially in the afternoon, which are not conditions conducive to learning when rooms are filled with students and staff. Due to this, we are going to run compressed days from 8:30am to 1:10pm from Tuesday 23rd June. This will ensure that students will still have 5 lessons each day, although each lesson will be slightly shorter. This will mean that they will not have to be out at lunchtime in the heat but disruption to their education will be minimised." CheamFest is still planned for Friday evening.
Oaks Park High School in Sutton will finish at 12:20pm on Wednesday and Thursday. The school stated: "The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff must remain our priority. Despite the measures we have put in place to keep classrooms as cool as possible, the forecast temperatures and heat warnings mean that remaining on site for the full school day is likely to become increasingly uncomfortable and potentially unsafe." Pupils will be provided with work to complete at home.
Belmont Junior School in Haringey has requested parents collect their children at 1:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday where feasible, though arrangements will continue for families unable to do so. Parents at All Saints Benhilton Primary School in Sutton have been informed they may opt to collect their child earlier at 1:15pm this week.
Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School in Croydon is running shorter days on Wednesday and Thursday, closing at 12:45pm. Head teacher Richard Parrish sent a letter to parents stating: "From Tuesday to Thursday pupils should come to school in their PE kit, without having to wear a blazer, but with pens and equipment for lessons and with their fobs for the school canteen. On Wednesday and Thursday, when the temperature will be hottest, we will have lunch earlier during Period 4 (at 12:05pm). After lunch pupils will go to their Form Room, to be registered and accompanied from there by their Form Tutor to the gate for dismissal at 12:45pm. The Year 10 exams on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons will now take place early next week. Unfortunately, the Art Exhibition planned for Thursday will be cancelled."
Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in Hackney will be shut all day on Wednesday and Thursday. Head teacher Zehra Jaffer said in a message: "Teachers will set work online for students to complete at home. Year 11 and Year 13 Proms have been postponed, further information to those parents/carers will be sent shortly. We understand that these measures may cause inconvenience, however, the safety of everyone in our school is the highest priority. The temperatures forecast present a significant risk, particularly within school buildings which become excessively warm."
List of London schools with closures or early finishes
- All Saints Benhilton Primary School - Parents asked to pick up at 1:30pm all week
- Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School - Closing at 12:45pm on Wednesday and Thursday
- Belmont Junior School - Parents asked to pick up at 1:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday
- Cardinal Pole Catholic School - Closing at 1:20pm on Wednesday and Thursday to majority of students
- Cheam High School - Compressed days from 8:30am to 1:10pm until Friday
- Clapton Girls’ Academy - Closing at 2pm on Wednesday and Thursday
- Fielding Primary School - Shut on Wednesday and Thursday
- Gayhurst Community School - Closing at 1pm on Wednesday
- Grasmere Primary School - Closing at 1pm on Wednesday
- Mandeville Primary School - Closing at 1pm on Wednesday
- Millfields Community School - Closing at 1pm on Wednesday
- Kingsmead Primary School - Closing at 1pm on Wednesday
- Oaks Park High School - Closing at 12:20pm on Wednesday and Thursday
- Simon Marks Jewish Primary School - Closed Wednesday and Thursday
- St John and St James CE Primary School - Closing 1:30pm onwards Tuesday
- Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form - Shut all day Wednesday and Thursday
- Sydenham School - Closing at 12:15pm on Wednesday and Thursday
- Wentworth Nursery School - Closed Wednesday
Schools elsewhere in the UK
Around 100 schools in Somerset will be closed over the next few days, with the vast majority fully closed on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Somerset Council. The same number of schools will also be at least partially closed in Buckinghamshire, along with 86 schools in Gloucestershire, according to council data.
The Buckingham School in Buckinghamshire said it will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday and asked students to take part in online learning. In a statement on its website, the school said: "Because most of our buildings cannot be cooled adequately and there is little shade outside, we have taken the difficult decision to close the school site on both days (Wednesday and Thursday). All trips and other scheduled activities are also cancelled." St John’s Marlborough and The Dorcan Academy, both in Wiltshire, will be shut all day on Wednesday and Thursday before reopening on Friday.
Many schools in Horsham, West Sussex, are closing early on Wednesday and Thursday, with some setting pupils work to do at home. They include Tanbridge House School, a secondary school with about 1,500 pupils, and the Forest School secondary school. Some children who cannot stay at home will continue to be cared for on site.
The Department for Education said on its website that "during hot weather, we don’t normally advise schools to close." It added: "This is because school attendance is the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential, and hot weather can usually be managed safely. School leaders should make sure they take any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable, and the heat-health alerts can guide this."
