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UK schools turn to popsicles and sprayers to stay cool in the heat
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Hundreds of UK schools, including a Welsh school, closed during a record-breaking heat wave with temperatures reaching 35.9°C, exposing the lack of air conditioning and poor ventilation in many school buildings.
- The heat wave disrupted education and forced parents to find childcare, highlighting Britain's unpreparedness for more frequent and intense heat waves due to aging and underfunded public infrastructure.
- Teachers reported health risks from extreme classroom heat, with some staff passing out, and unions have called for a government-imposed maximum workplace temperature to protect staff and students.
- Many school buildings, especially those from the mid-20th century, contain asbestos, complicating retrofitting efforts for air conditioning, while funding shortages hinder necessary upgrades and repairs.
- The Climate Change Committee warns that by 2050, indoor temperatures in schools could regularly exceed 35°C, recommending passive cooling measures now and air conditioning installation within 25 years to adapt to rising temperatures.
