The sun is shining, the World Cup is well underway and education policy has even taken a holiday to Love Island. Visions of barbecues and days by the pool might already be floating in your head. However, those of you sweltering in the classroom may instead be wondering: just how hot is too hot?

If you’re looking to keep heads cool in the classroom there is general guidance available. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their staff and others present in the workplace (e.g., pupils), meaning they should seek to protect against excessive working temperatures.

Similarly, Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires employers to ensure that temperatures in workplaces should be “reasonable”.

You might say, “This heat certainly feels unreasonable to me”  - in which case more helpful policy is available thanks to the NEU teaching union.  

Is there a maximum classroom temperature? 

Temperatures will reach 26C this week, which pushes the limit of NEU policy that advises that  “26C should be the absolute maximum temperature at which teachers should be expected to work”.

I’m sure it won’t stop the pupil complaints when you tell them that, “No, you are not legally allowed to leave.” So, what can you do to make everyone’s life more comfortable during this heatwave?

The NEU says that the 26C mark, or staff complaints, should be used as a trigger for a series of measures to reduce working temperatures. Its short-term measures include:

• Permission to be given for pupils to drink water in classrooms.  (The NUT is, in fact, in favour of this at all times of the year).
• Reallocation of classes to cooler rooms whenever possible.
• Relaxation of dress codes for staff and pupils.
• Appropriate changes to the school lunch menu.
• Ensuring that windows can be safely opened.
   

As always, it’s best to be prepared early. The NEU suggests taking the time before a heatwave to make the school suitable for the hot weather by installing proper air conditioning, developing shaded areas in the playground and getting in fans and water coolers. If you know a heatwave is coming, try to make sure that you give parents some warning. Ask them to give their child protective clothing such as hats or sunglasses to take to school.

The SPF Factor

Keeping safe when out in the sun also means having proper skin protection. The Met Office says that we will reach 8 on the Solar UV index throughout the week, which is the highest that the index reaches in the UK.

If you’re looking to make the most of the sun by taking your class into the school field for some outdoor learning, then you need to make sure everyone has their sunscreen on.

Providing sunscreen for everyone in school can be costly, and applying the sunscreen yourself could bring complaints from protective parents, so asking pupils to apply their own is the most desirable option for all concerned.

Staff who work with young children or children with special educational needs and disabilities may apply sunscreen, in consultation with the headteacher and the governing body. However, they are not obliged to do so and may refuse following advice from their unions.