How a new era of heatwaves could shake up the school calendar

Over the past two weeks, the familiar sound of children’s laughter and chatter has once again filled Scotland’s school playgrounds. Their summer breaks, typically commencing in late June or early July, concluded by mid-August, setting a pattern replicated across many other European nations. However, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, pupils will not make their return until early September. While the duration of their holidays mirrors Scotland’s, the timing is critically different. Schools in England and Wales did not break up until late July, a schedule that inadvertently subjected students to the intense heat of early summer, a period increasingly defined by soaring temperatures.

Or at least, they were meant to be in school. With external temperatures frequently surpassing 30C, many classrooms became insufferable, often feeling significantly hotter due to inadequate infrastructure. A pervasive lack of air conditioning, coupled with limited ventilation in older buildings, transformed learning environments into stifling hotboxes. The consequences were immediate and widespread: over 1,000 schools across the UK either closed entirely or dismissed pupils early to avoid the hottest parts of the afternoon. This disruption was particularly acute for GCSE and A-level students, who were compelled to sit high-stakes examinations during periods of extreme heat, potentially impacting their performance and future prospects.

The scientific consensus underscores these concerns. Baroness Brown, chair of the UK’s Climate Change Adaptation Committee, has unequivocally warned that "we know high temperatures can significantly impair concentration and performance" in children. This sentiment echoes earlier calls for reform. As far back as February 2026, Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, advocated for a reconsideration of the school holiday timing. He highlighted the incongruity of "pretty hot usually in May, June and July, just at the point you’re asking children to sit down and take an exam… so I think there is a need to have a good old look at it [the school year]."

The recent summer’s oppressive heat has galvanized parents into joining this growing chorus. Andrea Bigger, a London parent, expressed her profound concern, stating she is "absolutely aware of the dangers" of extreme heat in classrooms. Her own daughter was previously hospitalized after suffering from heat exhaustion, having overheated at her primary school. Bigger voiced a common apprehension: "really concerned that the UK is not ready or prepared for this." Such incidents are not isolated anomalies but harbingers of a changing climate. BBC analysis of temperature data reveals a stark and undeniable shift: in the 1960s, the first 30C day occurred, on average, on 13 July. In the 2020s, this benchmark has been brought forward by almost a month, to 19 June.

This accelerating trend begs critical questions: Will it become increasingly difficult for schools to operate effectively during the summer months? And is a fundamental shift in the school summer holidays the most viable solution to ensure continuous and productive learning for as much of the year as possible?

Longer Summer Season, Unprepared Infrastructure

This past summer is on track to be recorded as one of the hottest on record by the Met Office, marking a new chapter in the UK’s climatic narrative. Multiple temperature records have been shattered, with five widespread heatwaves gripping the nation and an unprecedented four consecutive months registering temperatures exceeding 35C. This sustained intensity and duration of heat have never before been observed.

June witnessed one of the UK’s most intense heatwaves, characterized by up to seven consecutive days where temperatures significantly surpassed official heatwave thresholds of 25-28C. This period coincided directly with the peak of the exam season, exacerbating the challenges for students. New temperature records were set, including a scorching 38C recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk, on 26 June, making it the hottest June day ever measured in the UK. The Met Office responded by issuing a red extreme heat warning at the end of June, signifying a potential "danger to life," while the UK Health Security Agency issued multiple amber warnings throughout the summer months. The heat persisted relentlessly into July, with heatwave conditions prevailing for most of the month, even after schools had broken up in some regions.

Schools, particularly those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland that remained open, struggled profoundly to cope. Many were forced to declare "heat days," a novel concept akin to traditional "snow days," as classroom temperatures became dangerously high, making concentration and effective teaching impossible. These disruptions are likely to become more frequent and severe as human-induced climate change continues to drive hotter summers and more intense heatwaves.

The data unequivocally shows that summer heat is arriving earlier and extending later. Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, noted that the "de facto ‘hot season’ in the UK is lengthening, with increasing prevalence of hot weather – including heatwaves – in May and September in addition to the standard meteorological summer of June, July and August." This lengthening of the hot season is a critical indicator of a warming climate fundamentally reshaping the pattern and timing of UK summers, demanding a re-evaluation of established norms.

Poorer Performance in Hotter Schools

The academic implications of these rising temperatures are stark. A collaborative study by the Met Office and University College London projects that students could lose an estimated 8.2 days of learning per year on average due to extreme heat, particularly if global average temperatures rise to more than 2C above pre-industrial levels – a trajectory many scientists believe is increasingly likely.

In the interim, teachers are left grappling with the immediate consequences. Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Academy, which operates over 50 schools across England, described the heatwaves as a "real inhibitor" to effective teaching. He recounted the immense difficulty faced by headteachers when the Met Office issued a red extreme heat warning, signaling "danger to life." "What do you do as a headteacher?" Chalke questioned, highlighting the ethical and legal dilemma. "How can they run a school safely if the national weather service is warning to travel only if essential and make every effort to stay cool? What if a student or member of staff collapses due to the heat and you’re accountable for why you opened the school and didn’t take your duty of care seriously?"

Such questions will only become more prevalent given Met Office predictions of more extreme weather, consistently higher summer temperatures, and more frequent, prolonged heatwaves. Rebecca Martin, a concerned parent, worries about her son taking GCSE exams in a few years amidst potentially escalating heat. She advocates for "some serious considerations to the school year to reflect the changing climate or better investment in schools to give them air conditioning."

Her concerns are substantiated by growing evidence. The recent Well-Adapted UK report from the Climate Change Committee indicated that taking an exam on a 32C day leads to approximately a 10% lower likelihood of passing, compared to sitting the same exam at 22C. Baroness Brown, in an interview with the BBC, emphasized that "as heatwaves become more frequent and intense, it is unacceptable that children are expected to sit high-stakes exams in halls that were not designed for these conditions."

While "snow days" are a familiar concept in the winter, often triggered by legal minimum temperature guidelines (the National Education Union suggests classrooms should be above 18C), "heat days" are a newer phenomenon. Critically, there are no specified maximum temperatures for classrooms in the UK. A 2024 study published in the journal Climate Risk Management suggested that any temperature above 24C can compromise learning. It also found a decline in student performance ranging from 2% to 12% for each degree increase in classroom temperature. Setting 26C as the upper "comfortable limit" for a classroom, the study’s authors calculated that the average English school currently breaches this limit on 59 days of the year. This figure would surge to 71 days with a 2C global warming scenario. In "at-risk" schools – those with unsuitable ventilation or lower ceilings common in newer buildings – this "comfortable 26C classroom temperature would be breached" on a staggering 75 days.

In hotter European countries like France and Spain, local authorities have established extreme heat guidelines that trigger pre-planned timetable changes or school closures when conditions become too hot. This proactive, structured approach offers a model that some argue the UK may need to urgently consider as its summer climate undergoes rapid transformation.

The Impact of Shifting Holidays

While extreme heat or heatwaves can still occur in May and June – periods when exams are prevalent – or indeed in late August or early September, by which time pupils are proposed to have returned to class under a revised calendar, breaking up for summer at the end of June could significantly reduce the amount of disruption schools face from the most intense heat conditions heading into the peak of summer.

Despite August often experiencing hot and dry spells, some parents contend that an earlier summer break would align more effectively with the UK’s typically warmer and drier mid-summer weather in July. Rebecca Martin articulated a desire to "make the most of the more guaranteed summer-like weather in July," planning to spend more time outdoors on a UK staycation rather than venturing abroad to parts of Europe where the "heat is getting even more extreme and unpleasant."

Europe, indeed, is the fastest-warming continent, with temperatures escalating at roughly twice the global average. Like the UK, European heatwaves are becoming hotter, more frequent, and more prolonged. This trend is already influencing travel choices. Staycations in the UK could become an increasingly popular option. According to 2024 research by Mintel, over half of UK holidaymakers indicate they are likely to choose to holiday at home rather than abroad for climate-related reasons. Furthermore, approximately 28% explicitly state that higher UK temperatures are encouraging them to take domestic holidays.

The economic implications of such a shift are significant. Aligning the UK holiday period more closely with Scotland and other European countries could concentrate demand in late June and July, potentially pushing the traditional price peak for holidays earlier in the year. Other evolving holiday habits, such as actively avoiding the peak summer heat and extreme temperatures in popular southern European destinations, will also play a crucial role in shaping the travel landscape. A recent national survey by InsureandGo revealed that more than seven in ten UK holidaymakers believe that certain European countries like Spain, Greece, or Turkey would be too hot to visit in the summer months by the end of the decade.

Travel journalist Simon Calder succinctly summarized the potential economic ripple effect: "A significant shift in holiday habits could push up the cost of a domestic holiday. If more people decide to stay in the UK, and others come to Britain because it is more climatically appealing, the rise in demand would trigger price increases. But there are always locations where you can get reasonable deals."

Long-term Plans Are Required

In England, term dates are currently determined by school employers. For maintained state schools, this responsibility lies with their local authority. However, other schools, including academies, free schools, foundation schools, and voluntary-aided schools, retain the autonomy to set their own term dates. This fragmented approach highlights the challenge: any comprehensive changes to the school holiday or academic year would undoubtedly necessitate national-level discussion and leadership, rather than disparate decisions made by individual schools or even local authorities.

Steve Chalke of Oasis Academy strongly suggested the urgent need for a national plan with clear, consistent guidance for schools navigating increasingly hot conditions in our warming climate. "We’re all accustomed to ‘snow days’ but we now need to properly think and prepare for ‘heat days’ too," he emphasized. "And without doubt, we need to rethink the school year."

However, for some parents, the solution extends beyond merely shifting the school holidays; it lies in making school buildings inherently more climate-resilient for the future. Gemma Beake, a parent of two boys attending a Bristol school, argued that if schools could be made cooler and equipped with air conditioning, they would become "safer places than a lot of homes and flats where we have the same problem of overheating." This perspective underscores the broader societal issue of overheating in residential areas and the potential for schools to serve as community cooling centers if adequately adapted.

British summers will always retain an element of variability, with no two years being exactly alike. Yet, the overarching direction of travel is becoming alarmingly clear. Hot weather is arriving earlier, persisting for longer durations, and increasingly challenging our school buildings, which were designed and constructed in a past climate. While headteachers can implement immediate, tactical changes – such as relaxing uniform policies to allow PE kit instead of traditional attire, as many did this year – for a sustainable future, it is the buildings themselves that require fundamental adaptation to the changing climate of today and, crucially, tomorrow.

Implementing either widespread infrastructure upgrades to create climate-resilient schools or a significant modification of the academic year would demand substantial institutional change and potentially immense investment. Both pathways would also require many years to plan, fund, and implement effectively across the entire national school estate.

Nevertheless, for parents, teachers, and school leaders on the front lines, changes are needed with a pressing urgency. As Steve Chalke articulated, "We need the government to come up with a short-term plan for the next few years." This immediate action might involve providing clearer, more robust guidance for schools during "heat days," establishing defined thresholds for when it is appropriate to close schools, mirroring the protocols for "snow days." Alternatively, it could mean encouraging greater flexibility, allowing schools to open earlier and finish earlier in the day to avoid the peak afternoon temperatures. The time for reactive measures is over; a proactive, comprehensive strategy is imperative to safeguard children’s education and well-being in a rapidly warming world.