2026 has seen a summer of consecutively record-breaking temperatures in the UK, leading experts, school leaders and parents to reflect on the possible changes necessary for schools and the school calendar, as reported by the BBC. In June, more than a thousand schools had to close schools or send students home earlier due to the lack of ventilation and air-conditioning in classrooms, leading to stifling and unsafe conditions, and impeding learning. It is clear that this is not a one off: since the 1960s, the hotter weather has been moving earlier in the year with 30C temperatures now being recorded in mid-June rather than mid-July. With a peak of 38C recorded in Norfolk at the end of June, and temperatures exceeding 35C in four consecutive months, is a precedent being set for summers to come? Do we need to start long-term planning now rather than knee-jerk reactions when it arrives? As climate change brings hotter, earlier and longer summers, do we need to revisit the school calendar? Or should funding be provided to ensure our schools are built to deal with extremes? Should exam season sit right in the centre of a period where climate conditions can unfairly affect outcomes?
On the panel: Tom Rogers, Kit Marie Rackley, Alun Ebenezer and Maud Waret.
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