Peterborough City Council issues update on school closures ahead of ‘extreme’ temperatures of nearly 40C

Peterborough City Council is advising parents to send their children to school as normal over the coming days despite temperatures forecast to hit nearly 40C.

The city is currently under an amber Met Office warning for extreme heat, which is due to expire at 11.59pm on Thursday (June 25).

Over the next three days, Peterborough is expected to record daily highs of between 30C and 37C, according to the Met Office.

The extreme temperatures have led to concerns surrounding the safety of schools, but Peterborough City Council says children should carry on as normal unless told otherwise.

Councillor Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “We know parents and carers may be concerned about the current extreme heat and the impact it may have on children during the school day.

“Decisions about any changes to the school day, including whether to close, open as normal or adapt arrangements, are ultimately for individual schools and academy trusts to make based on their own circumstances.

“However, we have written to schools to share practical advice to help them keep children safe, cool and hydrated during the hot weather.

“This advice includes considering steps such as relaxing uniform expectations where appropriate, encouraging children to bring water bottles and drink regularly, asking families to apply sun cream before school and provide sun hats or caps, moving pupils to cooler or shaded rooms where possible, keeping children out of direct sun during the hottest part of the day, reducing vigorous physical activity and providing regular shade breaks when children are outside.

“Schools have also been reminded to look out for signs that a child may be affected by the heat, such as dizziness, tiredness, headache, nausea, excessive sweating, cramps, intense thirst, confusion or seeming unusually out of character.

“Where there are concerns, children should be moved to a cooler place, encouraged to sip water and helped to cool down, with urgent medical advice sought if symptoms worsen or do not improve. Schools are also advised to consider arrangements for sports days. “Children should continue to attend school as normal unless they are unwell or unless their school has told them about different arrangements.

“Schools are able to put sensible measures in place to reduce risk and keep children as comfortable as possible during periods of hot weather. “We are grateful to schools for the work they are doing to support children, staff and families during this period of extreme heat, and we encourage parents to follow any advice or updates issued by their child’s school.”

Current forecasts predict that Friday (June 26) will be Peterborough’s hottest day of the week, with highs of 37C.

The city remains under a red UK Health Security Agency heat-health alert, which warns of “severe” impacts across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.