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.
READ MORE: Greggs forced to shut stores across UK due to extreme heat
“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.
READ MORE: UK pet owners warned amid historic red heatwave warning
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.
Helen & Douglas House hospice, a charity which provides hospice services to terminally ill children in Oxford, announced today (Thursday, June 25) there was a fire at its centre.
Helen House in Magdalen Road, suffered a ‘small fire’ on Friday, June 12, the charity said.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire ambulance service ‘critical incident’ declared
It was reportedly ‘quickly and safely extinguished’ by firefighters on the scene, and no children, families or staff were injured.
A small area of the building was directly affected by the blaze, but the power supply to the hospice has been cut off as a result.
Helen House has been closed to in-patient stays for until the power can be restored and the charity is ‘confident it is safe to reopen’.
A spokesperson for Helen & Douglas House said: “We know how important Helen House is to the children and families who rely on us, and we are doing everything we can to return to our usual in-patient service as soon as possible.
“If your planned stay is affected, we will contact you directly.
“In the meantime we have secured alternative ways to provide in-patient care at Helen & Douglas House to families who need it during this time.
“If you have any questions or concerns, please email reception@helenanddouglas.org.uk.
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“Thank you for your patience, support and understanding.
“We are immensely grateful to the emergency services and our staff for their calm, swift response, and we look forward to welcoming children and families back to Helen & Douglas House very soon. ”
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue and Helen & Douglas House have been approached for comment.
South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) declared a critical incident at 11.30am today, Thursday, June 25, due to a ‘significant’ increase in response times amid the extreme heatwave.
Temperatures in Oxfordshire were forecast to hit 34C in Oxfordshire today as The Met Office issued a red ‘danger to life’ warning in the record-breaking weather.
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An increased demand for services and more acute patient needs, as well as pressure on other NHS services which puts more demand on emergency departments, has contributed to massive pressure on the ambulance service.
Declaring a critical incident means the service can focus resources on patients most in need of help and redirect capacity across the NHS Trust to address the contributing factors.
Mark Ainsworth, executive director of operations at SCAS, said: “We continue to prioritise patients with the most serious injuries and illnesses, and our staff and volunteers are working extremely hard through the heat.
“We recognise that response times are longer than they should be and that’s why we’ve called the incident, to ensure everything possible is being done to improve the position.”
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SCAS said it has put a ‘critical incident response cell’ in action to prioritise services, maximised crew capacity with additional shifts and overtime, and has stood down operational staff from any non-essential work to take on frontline shifts.
The service has asked people to follow advice on coping in a heatwave, don’t take unnecessary risks – particularly around water – and consider contacting health care services other than 999 for non-life threatening issues.
If hospital is needed but a patient can get there by other means, they are asked not to call an ambulance.
It was a record-breaking day for hot weather – Tuesday’s provisional maximum temperature of 34.3C matched the June record at Oxford’s Radcliffe Meteorological Station, first set on June 27, 1976.
Shoppers, tourists, students and office workers tried their best to stay cool but it wasn’t always easy to find some shade.
READ MORE: Red extreme heat warning extended to Friday
Yukino Ashida, from Japan, who is studying business at Oxford University’s Green Templeton College, said more people should try using umbrellas during a heatwave.
She added: “I’ve got my own shade – it’s definitely a good idea to use an umbrella in the heat when we are facing global warming.”
There was some respite from the sun’s rays in the Covered Market, where Graham MacDonald, who runs iScream gelateria, was having a busy afternoon.
His staff including Ozzy and Molly were kept busy serving many different flavours of gelato to customers.
“We are very busy in the afternoons serving customers – there’s a good mixture of tourists, students, regulars and passers-by,” Mr MacDonald added.
Busker Richard Christian Shama – known as Rich – stayed cool by taking his top off as he serenaded shoppers with a version of The Who’s Pinball Wizard.
And charity workers Minal Jade and Rasul Sangha from Birmingham, working for the National Deaf Children’s Society, said they were finding it difficult to stay cool.
“Staff from TG Jones gave us some water, and a woman came up and handed over some ice creams,” said Minal.
“We’re here in the heat from 9am to 7pm asking for donations – we take a 15-minute break every 30 minutes.”
German tourist Stephan and his friends got some cold beers in at The Plough in Cornmarket, saying it was “very hot”.
The Met Office has extended the red extreme heat warning to tomorrow (Friday, June 26), as temperatures are set to remain high across Oxfordshire.
The record-breaking June heat is expected to continue into Friday according to the forecaster, as temperatures remain at 34C.
This comes as the UK’s recorded its hottest June day record was broken for a third time, with highs of 36C in Surrey and Hampshire, surpassing the 1976 35C record.
The breaking of the 50-year record came as the Met Office issued a red extreme heat warning for the county and other parts of the south east of England from 9am on Wednesday, June 24, now extended until 9pm on Friday, June 26.
If temperatures reach 39C, that would make it the second hottest day in the UK on record.
If 38C is recorded, that is still in the top five days ever recorded and hotter than any day of the 20th century.
The heatwave has closed more than 100 schools across the county over the last few days, and disrupted rail services, particularly between London Paddington and Reading.
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