Temperature rules for schools in England to close this winter
After the festive holidays, children throughout the UK were expected to resume school today. But thousands have been instructed to remain at home for an extra day owing to substantial snowfall.Numerous schools, spanning Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Devon, have remained closed because of the adverse weather conditions. This decision stemmed from concerns about travelling in challenging conditions and the freezing temperatures.Nevertheless, regulations exist that determine the appropriate temperature required for schools to continue operating.Prior to October 2012, legal requirements mandated that classroom temperatures in England must reach a minimum of 18C (64.4F).These standards were superseded in 2012 by the School Premises (England) Regulations. This legislation does not establish minimum temperature thresholds for any school areas.However, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which govern all employment venues including educational institutions, establish minimum heating standards. They stipulate that temperatures must be "reasonable", defined as "normally at least 16C" (60F).The National Education Union (NEU) states this requirement encompasses non-teaching spaces alongside classrooms and remains applicable beyond standard school hours. The NEU says: "The NEU position remains that temperatures in school classrooms should be at least 18C (64.4F)."GOV.UK states: "Schools will make every effort to stay open in adverse weather conditions, including storms, flooding, snow and heatwaves. However, the safety of pupils and teachers is a top priority."On rare occasions schools do sometimes need to close or operate at a reduced level."Whether a school shuts down under certain circumstances is down to the individual institution."It's up to schools to decide on whether it is safe for them to open or close based on their own risk assessment and taking local issues into account," GOV.UK says. Consequently, parents should watch for communications from their child's educational establishment during adverse weather conditions.GOV.UK adds: "Schools will have their own approaches to contacting parents, in many circumstances they have their own apps and/or messaging services. Schools will try to give parents as much notice as possible but sometimes decisions will be made quite late as circumstances change."In Wales, the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 stipulate that local authority maintained schools must possess heating systems capable of maintaining specified minimum temperatures. These are 18C (64.4F) in most classrooms or 21C in medical rooms and 15C in sports halls.
