You know the situation: as soon as you open the window, someone (usually resembling a walking, talking pile of blankets) is just as quickly closing it behind you. 

This phenomenon is not unique to schools: people’s perception of temperature is highly variable (as a quick glance at a nightclub queue in any northern part of the British Isles will tell you). 

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So why is it that some teachers were rocking the “no tights until Christmas” look while others have been in their thermals since mid September?

Gender

It is no myth; women generally feel the cold more than men.

This is possibly a result of women having more subcutaneous fat, as any heat generated takes longer to get to the outer layers of skin, creating a lower skin temperature. Women also have the hormone oestrogen to thank, with high levels leading to cold hands and feet. 

Hormones

It is not only women who are impacted by their hormones, men, too, can experience hormonal fluctuations. This could be a result of a malfunctioning thyroid gland. An underactive thyroid does not produce enough hormones (hypothyroidism); one of the symptoms is a sensitivity to the cold.

Conversely, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) produces the opposite effect, leading to a sensitivity to heat.

Health

Medical conditions such as fibromyalgia; anhidrosis (an inability to sweat); multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes and cardiovascular disease can all impact on the body’s ability to regulate its temperature. Some medications can also affect thermoregulation. 

Metabolism

People with a faster metabolism have a higher body temperature. As physical activity is one of the most effective ways of improving metabolic health, those who exercise are potentially less likely to feel cold compared with those who have more sedentary lifestyles. 

When we metabolise food, our bodies are converting it into energy. A by-product of this process is heat, which goes some way towards explaining why small, overfilled classrooms quickly start to take on a sauna-esque quality (albeit a sauna with a slightly strange smell).  

Habits

Technology has meant that we rarely have to inconvenience ourselves with the prospect of getting chilly, as we go from our centrally warmed homes to our cars to other centrally warmed buildings. So, when we are exposed to the cold it can come as a bit of a shock.

Apparently, Roald Amundsen prepared for his Antarctic adventure by sleeping with his bedroom window open, even during the coldest Norwegian winters.

I am not suggesting that you do this when faced with the prospect of a school with a dodgy heating system, but remember that the Education (School Premises) Regulations say that the minimum temperature of a classroom should be 18°C, where there is a normal level of activity.

Any non-teaching areas have a minimum temperature of 16°C, as per the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Be sure to adjust your environment. If it is sunny, open your curtains and pray the weak winter sunlight warms you up. If it is draughty and you have thick curtains, you might be better off closing them. 

Prevent any other draughts by closing your classroom door and ensuring any outside doors in the corridor are also shut. 

Alternatively, book a computer room for all your lessons, which even if we were in the grips of an ice age would still be the same temperature as the surface of the sun. 

Gemma Corby is a freelance writer and former special educational needs and disability coordinator