SCHOOL ABSENCES IN ENGLAND HIT 18.4% DURING RECORD HEATWAVE

Nearly one in five school sessions in England were missed on 26 June during a record-breaking heatwave, with recorded pupil absence reaching 18.4 per cent. This figure represents the highest daily absence rate documented during the 2025/26 academic year, according to reported data. The peak coincided with temperatures of 37.7 degrees Celsius and a red weather warning issued by meteorological authorities.

The absence rate climbed steadily throughout the week preceding the peak, rising from 6.8 per cent on 22 June to 18.4 per cent by 26 June. Over 1,000 schools either closed or partially closed on the Thursday and Friday of that week, according to the Press Association. Schools cited extreme heat, lack of air conditioning and travel risks as reasons for closures.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson urged parents to send children to school where establishments remained open, stating that each day of absence and missed lesson "has a cost". Her intervention came as the heatwave prompted widespread school disruption across the country. The heatwave also triggered hosepipe bans affecting 350,000 people, marking the first such restrictions in 30 years, according to reported accounts.