Fund schools to keep classrooms cool, leaders tell government

Treasury funding is needed to ensure classroom temperatures are kept at safe levels, an education union has warned.

The Association of School and College Leaders has called on the government to invest in making schools climate-proof after the country experienced the hottest summer on record this year.

Their plea comes after Tes revealed that more than a third of schools in England do not have any air conditioning, despite the country experiencing record heat this summer.

ASCL has also repeated its urges for the government to set a maximum workplace temperature for schools.

Currently there is no legal limit for how hot - or cold - workplaces can be, with employers expected to ensure that temperatures are “reasonable”.

Schools ‘ill-equipped’ to deal with heatwaves

In its submission to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Budget next month, ASCL said that it is essential for schools to have appropriate heating and cooling mechanisms to provide comfortable environments for both pupils and staff.

Schools were forced to shut this summer as red weather warnings affected multiple areas, with leaders complaining of “patronising” government communications as a result.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL, said: “It is astonishing that there is currently a maximum temperature for transporting cattle, but not one for children and staff in our schools. This has clearly got to change.”

However, Mr Di’Iasio said that setting a maximum temperature is not enough on its own, and Treasury investment will be needed to maintain safe temperatures.

“Many existing buildings are old and ill-equipped to deal with the intensity of the heatwaves we have seen over the summer,” he added.

Capital funding needed

The Department for Education’s estates strategy, published in February, recognised that too many children are learning in buildings that need repair and are at risk of overheating.

As part of the strategy, the government pledged to deliver over £450 million in projects to fix buildings with issues, including heating systems, as well as assessing flood and overheating measures.

“There is no getting away from the fact that a significant uplift in capital funding is required to fix this problem, which is only going to get worse as summer temperatures continue to increase,” Mr Di’Iasio said.

The Autumn Budget will take place on Wednesday 28 October.