Record Breaking UK Heatwaves – A Call For Air Conditioning In Schools
Estimated reading time 10 minutes
In a number of previous articles, we’ve looked at the ever-increasing UK temperatures and the fact that heatwaves are becoming the norm in the UK. In 2025 the Met Office recorded four heatwaves across the UK during the summer. This year the UK is already experiencing its fifth heatwave, and we’re only at the beginning of August.
2026 Another Year Of Records
2026 is setting several temperature records. June was the warmest on record for England, and the second warmest month for the UK as a whole with the highest temperatures of 37.7oC set on Friday 26 June 2026 at Lingwood, Norfolk breaking the previous high of 35.6oC set in 1957 and the 1976 heatwave. This temperature high caused a rare, red extreme heat warning to be issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), for parts of England and Wales. This red alert remained in place for three days in some parts of England. This is only the second time that the UKHSA has issued the highest level of alert since the system was established in 2004, the first was in July 2022.
So far this year there have been over 35 days where the temperature has been recorded at over 30oC, beating the previous record of 34 days which was set in 1995. As a consequence, it’s been the driest July on record with parts of England facing drought conditions, after “England received less than 10mm of rainfall for the seventh consecutive week.”
As each year brings a new round of heatwaves and temperatures soar, the occupants of schools suffer where air conditioning is not present.
Temperatures In Schools
UK law does not set a minimum or maximum working temperature. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) only provides guidance and suggests “a minimum of 16ºC or 13ºC if employees are doing physical work.” This also applies to schools. The National Education Union (NEU) state that “Although it is generally accepted that people work best at a temperature between 16°C and 24°C, there are no specific legal maximum working temperatures for schools or for offices or other workplace.”
The NEU goes onto say that “the NEU believes that because of the nature of the way in which education staff work, and the presence of children, a maximum indoor working temperature of 26°C is appropriate.”
High Temperature Impact On Children
A child’s ability to regulate their body temperature is lower than that of an adult as their thermoregulatory systems are still developing.
A Scientific American article “Heat Waves Affect Children More Severely — Children “are not little adults”—they have more trouble regulating temperature than adults do” explains that children are more susceptible to heat illnesses than adults are. They explain that “The reason is twofold: Children’s bodies have more trouble regulating temperature than those of adults, and they rely on adults to help protect them from overheating.” The article also says that children take longer to acclimatise when it’s hot weather when compared to adults as they take longer to increase sweat production. They are also more “susceptible to dehydration because a larger percentage of their body weight is water.” This can be exacerbated as children, very often don’t realise when they need to drink more water, which can lead to dehydration.
The UK government’s UK Health Security Agency and Centre for Climate and Health Security confirms that “Children can be at risk from hot weather because of their physiology, behaviours and activity levels. Children potentially at greater risk include those aged under 5 years, with health conditions or taking certain medications.” They also say “Heat-related illness can range from mild heat stress to potentially life-threatening heatstroke. The most common risk from heat is dehydration (not having enough water in the body) and sunburn.”
The Conversation details that heat can cause a slowing of a child’s ability to “process information, make quick and accurate decisions” and can make children “more tired, distracted and irritable.” As a whole, these changes reduce cognitive function which results in a reduction in the ability to think, recall and focus.
High Temperature Impact On Schools
So how have these unprecedented temperatures impacted schools?
Research carried out by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2025 found that an estimated 6.7 days of learning in England were lost each year as a result of heat. By 2050 the estimated days lost goes up to 8.2 and by 2100 it’s 11.4. Concerns have also been raised about how high temperatures can impact exam results.
The DfE research found that if schools do not adapt to climate change it’s predicted that “learning could not reasonably take place in some teaching spaces across the education estate on up to 8 days a year due to extreme heat events.” This is backed by the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Pepe Di’Iasio, who said “There are already issues with schools overheating in the summer months, and these will only increase as temperatures continue to rise.”
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, says schools are doing all they can to mitigate the effects of high temperatures including making “straightforward adjustments such as limiting the time spent in the sun during breaks, ensuring additional water is available, making adjustments to uniform expectations where appropriate, and ventilating classrooms as best they can”.
However, the Times Education Supplement (TES) magazine quotes teachers who have raised concerns that many of the suggested adjustments don’t provide the level of temperature control that’s needed, including headteacher, Nigel Wright, at Oakmoor School in Hampshire who said “Why are there no clear government guidelines on maximum temperatures in schools? Where is the investment in school infrastructure to ensure safe and comfortable learning environments? This is an issue that is not going away any time soon, and it is one that needs attention.”Mr Wright points out he already allows his students to wear shorts and even though “industrial fans were brought in to circulate air around the buildings” and “there were fans in every classroom, windows were opened early each morning, and blinds were kept closed throughout the day”, the impact of these changes to the temperature inside the building has been limited.
Claire Lotriet, headteacher of Henwick Primary School, in South London agrees and says, “We’re not able to run school as normal in heat like this and so we’ve had to adapt lessons, too, thinking about reducing movement, not being outside, changing certain activities and so on. The children have been great, as always, but they do get more tired in this heat, and it’s tough for them to concentrate.”
Spring Grove Junior, Infant and Nursery School, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, headteacher Shazia Azhar states “In our Victorian building, we don’t have air conditioning, so we have pulled down our roller blinds over the huge windows, opened all the doors to allow air to circulate and provided ice lollies for all,” she added. She called on the government to provide air conditioning for schools “in preparation for future heatwaves, which we know will now be the new normal.”
This is backed up by a Teacher Tapp survey, of more than 9,000 teachers which found that despite making adjustments e.g. 68% of 9,000 teachers said their school had made changes to uniform and 23% cancelled or postponed events, 26% of schools still had to close early, 5% closed entirely and 5% closed with online learning, in order to try to cope with the extreme heat.
Government Failure
The NEU believe that one of the biggest problems in dealing with high temperature in schools is the quality of school buildings. NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede blames schools having to close during heatwaves on “government failure” saying “Every school closure this week is a direct consequence of successive governments failing to invest in the UK’s school estate.”
Mr Di’Iasio, the Association of School and College Leaders general secretary agrees saying, “A big part of the problem is that ageing school buildings often have poor ventilation, leading to uncomfortable conditions that can result in lost learning” and urged the government to invest more in the school estate to make these buildings fit for the future “in a way that mitigates extreme temperatures as much as possible”.
Mr Whiteman the NAHT school leaders’ union general secretary went further saying the government needs to “act more urgently to improve and modernise school buildings” including “a focus on ventilation and, potentially, air conditioning” as “school buildings need to be conducive to learning all year round”.
These views are borne out by data from the DfE survey of all state-funded schools and colleges between 2021 and 2026, known as the “Condition Data Collection 2” programme (CDC2), which shows that of 22,067 schools surveyed only 14,316 schools were listed as having air conditioning, highlighting that over 35% of schools have no air conditioning.
The NEU Teaching Union have written to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, urging immediate action to help schools combat the heat.
A Faster Timetable For Equipping Schools With Air Conditioning Is Needed
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the NEU, said “A maximum working temperature for schools would encourage investment into making schools heat-resilient, with mitigations such as air conditioning, which would protect learning, the important exam period, and keep staff and children safe and comfortable. We need to see a much faster timetable for equipping schools with air conditioning, prioritising those with the greatest need. Without more investment, we can expect more disruption to pupils’ learning”.
The NEU also point to the recent “A Well Adapted UK” report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) which recognises that the UK is built for a climate that is fast disappearing as global temperatures increase and it needs to plan for more active cooling, such as air conditioning in schools. The report states that the UK is “experiencing serious impacts now, and further impacts are inevitable. By the middle of the century, the UK’s climate will be much more extreme than today.” The report states that “High indoor temperatures can disrupt learning in schools by causing discomfort, reducing concentration, and increasing health risks for students and staff” and proposes that “by 2050, internal temperatures of learning environments should remain between 16°C–25°C and school sites.”
The report goes onto say that the 16°C–25°C “will ensure that schools are safe and functional places when there are high temperatures, protecting staff, pupils, and learning Alongside managing thermal comfort, schools should ensure appropriate ventilation and good indoor air quality.”
Expert School Air Conditioning Advice and Support
Synecore is an expert in schools and education settings air conditioning in Kent, London, Surrey, Sussex, Essex. We provide installation of high-quality products from leading manufacturers.
When it comes to undertaking the necessary mechanical and electrical work, we understand the restrictions posed by the school day, therefore we can schedule all works outside of your usual operational hours.
It’s worth noting that Synecore offers both design and installation, both of which are critical to the effectiveness of your new cooling system, but not all contractors have the in-house facilities to offer both. At Synecore, we have the means to offer a turnkey design and installation service. We are an approved supplier and installation expert for Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, and Daikin. We also offer our customers value and long-term warranties on all installations for complete peace of mind.
Synecore’s air conditioning experts will complete a survey of your school to determine the current space and discuss your specific needs. To book a free home air conditioning installation survey, please speak to our team on 01795 509 509 or via our contact form.
