Oxford News
UK parents warned as over 1,000 schools closed amid red warning
Despite this, the Education Secretary has urged parents to send children to school if they remain open, warning “every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost”.
It comes as forecasters said temperatures could hit 40°C on Wednesday and Thursday in some spots, with a red warning from the Met Office for extreme heat.
This covers an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, as well as in Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton.
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Hundreds of schools have made decisions to either close completely, send children home early or make other adjustments such as relaxing uniform rules to help keep students and staff safe and comfortable.
A series of fundraisers has also been launched by parents in London, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Cumbria to buy air conditioning units and fans for their children’s schools.
Bridget Phillipson said: “I know hot weather can be a struggle. But my message to families is simple: if your child’s school is open, you should keep sending them into school.
“Teachers are relaxing uniform rules, keeping classrooms cool, making sure children are hydrated, teaching critical skills like water safety, and avoiding vigorous activity on the hottest days.
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“If your child has medical needs, which mean you’re especially worried about the heat, talk to your school about what they can do.
“Every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost – and that cost falls hardest on our most disadvantaged pupils and working-class communities. So, pack a water bottle, put on the sunscreen, and trust that your child’s school has got this.”
More than 100 schools will be at least partly closed over the next days in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire.
In Somerset, more than 200 schools will be shut or operating on more limited opening hours.
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Pupils will also either not be able to attend school or head home earlier than usual at settings in London, Essex, East Sussex, West Berkshire, Devon, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.
Many schools have explicitly cited red weather warnings and extreme heat for the reasons behind closures, with some explaining that classrooms lack air conditioning and that travel to and from school could be risky in the high temperatures.
Parkfield School in Taunton said: “Such exceptionally high temperatures present significant challenges in maintaining a safe and comfortable learning environment, particularly during the hottest parts of the day.
“Despite exploring all available options to remain open safely, we believe that the anticipated conditions will make it increasingly difficult to ensure the well-being, comfort and safety of both pupils and staff throughout the school day.
“While every school must make decisions based on its own circumstances, we believe that closing for these two days is the most responsible course of action.”
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Many pupils are set to receive work during closure periods, while many schools have offered provision for students who cannot work at home or whose parents cannot collect them early.
One parent teacher association has raised more than £3,500 in 16 hours to buy portable air conditioning units, fans and playground gazebos for Dulwich Hamlet Junior School in south London.
The organisers said: “This is an urgent and unbudgeted expense that would have an immediate impact and improve the learning environment in the summers to come.”
Meanwhile, more than 11,500 people have signed an online petition calling for a maximum temperature at which schools can remain open to be established.
Teachers’ union NASUWT has previously also urged a legally enforceable maximum classroom temperature to be set.
The UK’s Met Office has revealed the storm names for 2026/27, selected from more than 40,000 public suggestions.
The scheme is run in partnership with Met Eireann in Ireland and KNMI in the Netherlands, and the list starts each year in September to reflect the beginning of the autumn storm season.
This storm season includes names such as Austen, Boelo and Chloe and each has a story behind its nomination.
Staying safe during a thunderstorm
Names were submitted in honour of children, pets and even characters like Shaun the Sheep, as well as in memory of loved ones and meteorological trailblazers.
Under naming conventions used for storms in the North Atlantic, the list runs alphabetically, missing out Q, U, X, Y and Z.
Chloe, the third name on the list this year, was nominated more than 120 times.
One suggestion came from the mother of a five-year-old described as being “fascinated by the weather” who can also “create a storm by herself” when tired.
Other names have similarly personal backstories.
Finn was put forward for a two-year-old described as “wild and a force to be reckoned with”, while Ivy was nominated in honour of a nine-month-old Labrador puppy affectionately called “the absolute destructor”.
Nicola was suggested as a tribute to a mother who has “weathered many a storm and only come out stronger”.
Some names reflect a wider cultural reach.
Shaun, selected following a public vote, was included as part of a collaboration with Aardman, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit, to help raise awareness of storm preparedness.
Scattered showers moving eastwards this afternoon, some heavy and perhaps thundery ☔
Turning drier and fresher in the west, with sunny spells ⛅
Cloud and rain returning to the northwest later 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/0s2Je7rraP
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 31, 2026
The list also honours figures in meteorological history.
Met Eireann chose Austen in tribute to Austen Nagle, the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service as it marks its 90th anniversary.
Evelyn was selected in honour of Evelyn Murphy, the first woman to present weather forecasts on Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE.
Why are storms named?
The scheme began in 2015 and aims to improve public awareness and response in the face of severe weather.
Last year, four names were used from the list, reaching Storm Dave in April.
The UK was also affected by three additional storms named by other European meteorological services: Benjamin, Claudia and Goretti.
The Met Office said names are reviewed for pronunciation, potential meanings across different languages, connections to public figures and any risk of controversy.
When is a storm named?
A storm is named when it’s expected to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands.
Wind is the primary consideration, but significant effects from rain or snow are also taken into account.
Met Office confirms storm names for 2026/27
This year’s names, and the country they came from, are:
- Austen (Ireland)
- Boelo (pronounced Boo-loh) (Netherlands)
- Chloe (UK)
- Dano (pronounced Dah-noh) (Netherlands)
- Evelyn (Ireland)
- Finn (UK)
- Gwendolyn (Netherlands)
- Heather (Ireland)
- Ivy (UK)
- Jade (Netherlands)
- Kilian (Ireland)
- Laoise (pronounced Lee-sha) (Ireland)
- Miriam (Ireland)
- Nicola (UK)
- Olaf (Netherlands)
- Phelim (Fay-lim) (Ireland)
- Ruban (UK)
- Shaun (UK)
- Theo (UK)
- Vesna (Vehs-nuh) (Netherlands)
- Wende (Vhen-duh) (Netherlands)
Holly Clements, Met Office head of warnings and guidance, said: “For more than a decade, storm naming has helped us communicate the risks from severe weather more effectively.
“A named storm provides a clear focus for forecasts and warnings, helping more people understand the potential impacts and take action to protect themselves, their families and their property.”
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Eoin Sherlock, Met Eireann head of forecasting division, said: “We know that naming storms makes it easier for people to track important and up-to-date forecast and safety-related information as we can see from the levels of traffic and activity through our website and across social media platforms during storm events.
“2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Irish Meteorological Service and we are proud to be able to recognise some of the significant contributors to our history in the list of storm names this year.”
Which names would you add to the list of storm names? Let us know in the comments below.
Charlie Matthews appeared at Oxford Crown Court on August 27.
The 25-year-old is charged with two counts of rape.
The allegations are said to have taken place in Oxford in April and October 2021.
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The complainant for both counts is the same woman.
Matthews, of Langney Road, Eastbourne, pleaded not guilty to both counts.
A trial date, with a time estimate of four to five days, was set for August 21, 2028.
Judge Ian Pringle KC said that this is some seven years after the offences are alleged to have taken place.
The judge said: “Unfortunately, that’s the situation.”
Matthews was released on bail, with the condition not to contact the complainant.
Islandfarm Viscount is a 13-year-old gelding from Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell near Wallingford.
He took the top title at the 2026 Donkey Breed Society National Championship Show, held on August 22 at Pickering Grange Equestrian Centre in Coalville.
He is the offspring of East Lodge Bryony, a donkey left to the sanctuary by the late Alex and Sue Horn.
Mr Horn was a respected figure in donkey showing and won numerous awards during his lifetime.
Viscount has built an impressive record of his own, with championship wins at the Mid Somerset Show and the New Forest and Hampshire Show.
He was named Reserve Champion at the Ellingham and Ringwood Show, placing just behind stablemate Perehill Magical Moments.
Both donkeys qualified for the national finals, where Viscount claimed the Senior Gelding Class and went on to be named British Champion Gelding for the fifth year in a row.
He then competed against other class winners and took home the Supreme Champion title and trophy.
Perehill Magical Moments earned her place at the finals after wins at the Heckinton Show and Ellingham and Ringwood.
At the national event, she won the Senior Mare class and was named Reserve Mare Champion.
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