Study: UK June heatwave caused 760,000 pupils to miss 15m hours of school
More than 1,700 schools closed or finished early as classroom temperatures topped 40C, with effects falling hardest on deprived areas.
What to know
- A June heatwave forced 1,700+ schools in England and Wales to close or finish early; at least 760,000 pupils missed lessons totalling over 15 million hours.
- Classroom temperatures reached 40C (104F), causing heat stress, nausea, fainting, and hospitalizations among staff and pupils; conditions made learning impossible.
- Disruption poses lasting risks to education outcomes and mental health, with effects concentrated in deprived areas with fewer resources to adapt.
- The heatwave was one of five to strike the UK in summer 2026 and caused nearly 2,900 excess deaths across May and June.
Climate change is forcing a fundamental reconsideration of how schools operate and function.
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“I'd never really thought how climate change might impact public education, especially in the early years, when children's development is most vulnerable. Could climate become a force that reshapes how schools operate and what they teach?”
Climatehistories@mastodon.social · Mastodon ↗
“Schools need to be places where we can learn and teach safely. A place for children whose homes are not safe … these heatwaves and the lack of investment in schools are jeopardising this.”
Jenny Cooper, Teacher and National Education Union safety representative · The Guardian ↗
Jenny Cooper Teacher and National Education Union safety representative for LondonNicola Gray University of Huddersfield researcher, led Covid-19 school closure impact studyCharlotte O'Regan Education charity Sutton TrustDeSmog Research organization
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Experts warn of lasting educational and wellbeing costs, especially for deprived areas
Academic and charity leaders emphasize that missed school days risk lower exam results, poorer mental health, and loss of critical social services—effects concentrated in the most deprived areas where fewer resources exist to adapt to extreme heat.
“We do not want the education and training of our students to dip precisely at the time when they're going to need new skills and the best possible futures in a changing climate.”
— Nicola Gray -
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I’d never really thought how climate change might impact public education, especially in the early years, when children’s development is most vulnerable. Could climate become a force that reshapes how schools operate and what they teach? "Pupils missed 15m hours of school time during UK’s June heatwave, study finds" https://www…
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https://www. theguardian.com/education/2026 /sep/11/pupils-lost-teaching-time-uk-june-heatwave-school-closures . "The gruelling # heatwave that hit the # UK in June caused # pupils to miss more than 15 [million] hours of # lesson time as soaring # temperatures forced hundreds of # schools to close, according to a study. The # research found that…
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DeSmog study quantifies scale of heatwave impact: 760,000 pupils, 15m hours lost
Research by DeSmog, based on reported school closures and official absence rates, finds that at least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons during the June heatwave, totalling more than 15 million hours of teaching time lost.
“Staff and pupils were fainting and at least one of my colleagues was taken to A&E.”
— Jenny Cooper, Teacher and National Education Union safety representative · source -
first by Mastodon, 13d ago · also Guardian
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1 outlet first by Mastodon, 12d ago · read ↗
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background
Pupils experience severe conditions; parents keep children home — School staff reported that learning was almost impossible as temperatures broke June records. Even where schools remained open, absence rates soared as parents removed children from school to protect them, with some children returning home with severe heat rashes.
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background
UK heatwave forces over 1,700 schools to close or finish early — A gruelling heatwave lasting eight days hit the UK in June, forcing more than 1,700 schools in England and Wales to close completely or finish early. Temperatures inside some classrooms reached 40C (104F), causing heat stress, nausea, and headaches among staff and pupils.