Dr Stephen Curran is an education expert who advised on the 2014 syllabus.
We are in the middle of a heatwave. It is very hot. But not hot enough to make my blood boil.
What does make my blood boil, however, is schools closing because the mercury has risen a little bit. In ‘Flaming June’.
When I was a student schools only closed due to snow and ice because staff could literally not get there. They certainly didn’t shut because of heat.
I remember being hot in my primary school classroom in the summer term and we put up with the discomfort.
As a teacher, I recall working in temporary buildings which were very hot in the summer – but we never closed them.
They were cold in the winter too and I even took in my heaters from home because the internal heating was not good enough. We coped because we cared.
Education was valued and taking days off was not even considered.
I regularly go to schools in Pakistan and India and they often only have a fan in the classrooms and they never close due to heat. And their temperatures put ours in the shade.
As long as children and teachers are hydrated and keep out of direct sunlight, I believe school should continue as normal.
Losing days of schooling is disastrous for children’s progress and this needs to be taken into consideration against the potential discomfort in the classroom.
This may be another sign of pandering to every complaint and not recognising that some things just have to be put up with for the sake of a good education.
Working through heat or cold develops resilience and it gives students the message that their schooling is too important to be paused because of the temperature.
We have seen the damage the lockdowns caused during the Covid pandemic when schools were closed. That should have taught us to keep schools open whenever we can.
While most headteachers would not consider closing because of heat, it seems more and more are doing just that. Let’s not forget that closing schools put enormous pressure on parents – especially those who are working. What should they do?
Is there pressure from unions to close schools? From teachers themselves? Why has it become a ‘thing’?
Keep schools open, enjoy the sun and let’s turn out students for whom working is not dependent on the temperature.
Dr Stephen Curran is an education expert who advised on the 2014 syllabus.
We are in the middle of a heatwave. It is very hot. But not hot enough to make my blood boil.
What does make my blood boil, however, is schools closing because the mercury has risen a little bit. In ‘Flaming June’.
When I was a student schools only closed due to snow and ice because staff could literally not get there. They certainly didn’t shut because of heat.
I remember being hot in my primary school classroom in the summer term and we put up with the discomfort.
As a teacher, I recall working in temporary buildings which were very hot in the summer – but we never closed them.
They were cold in the winter too and I even took in my heaters from home because the internal heating was not good enough. We coped because we cared.
Education was valued and taking days off was not even considered.
I regularly go to schools in Pakistan and India and they often only have a fan in the classrooms and they never close due to heat. And their temperatures put ours in the shade.
As long as children and teachers are hydrated and keep out of direct sunlight, I believe school should continue as normal.
Losing days of schooling is disastrous for children’s progress and this needs to be taken into consideration against the potential discomfort in the classroom.
This may be another sign of pandering to every complaint and not recognising that some things just have to be put up with for the sake of a good education.
Working through heat or cold develops resilience and it gives students the message that their schooling is too important to be paused because of the temperature.
We have seen the damage the lockdowns caused during the Covid pandemic when schools were closed. That should have taught us to keep schools open whenever we can.
While most headteachers would not consider closing because of heat, it seems more and more are doing just that. Let’s not forget that closing schools put enormous pressure on parents – especially those who are working. What should they do?
Is there pressure from unions to close schools? From teachers themselves? Why has it become a ‘thing’?
Keep schools open, enjoy the sun and let’s turn out students for whom working is not dependent on the temperature.