760,000 PUPILS MISS LESSONS DURING JUNE HEATWAVE

At least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons during June's heatwave, according to research conducted by investigative outlet DeSmog. More than 1,700 schools closed entirely or shortened their opening hours as temperatures inside some classrooms reached 40C. Pupils and staff reported heat stress, nausea, headaches and fainting, with at least one member of staff requiring hospital treatment. The heatwave lasted eight days and triggered a red health alert across many parts of the UK.

DeSmog's research, based on reported school closures and official absence rates, found that pupils missed more than 15 million hours of teaching time in total. Direct closures accounted for approximately 5.9 million lost hours, whilst heat-related absences at schools that remained open caused a further 9.5 million missed hours. On the hottest days, student absence rates doubled the annual average across southern England regions and exceeded 36 per cent in Wales. Teachers reported that effective learning became nearly impossible as indoor heat intensified, with some describing scenes where pupils required assistance for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Education experts have warned that heat-induced school closures risk widening attainment gaps, particularly for disadvantaged students. Charlotte O'Regan, schools engagement lead at the Sutton Trust, stated that such pupils are less likely to have cooling systems at home and often lack resources to support learning independently. She added that state school leaders face severe budget constraints when attempting to adapt classrooms for climate extremes, whilst some private schools and parent organisations can afford costly cooling solutions.