The exact temperature for schools in England to shut doors this winter
Following the Christmas break, pupils across the UK were due to return to classes today. However, thousands have been told to stay at home for an additional day due to heavy snow.Multiple schools across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Devon have shut their doors because of the harsh weather conditions. The closures were prompted by safety concerns regarding travel in treacherous conditions and plummeting temperatures.However, there are guidelines in place that dictate the minimum temperature required for schools to remain open. Before October 2012, legal obligations required classroom temperatures in England to maintain a minimum of 18C (64.4F). These rules were replaced in 2012 by the School Premises (England) Regulations.This legislation doesn't set minimum temperature limits for any areas within schools. Yet the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which apply to all workplaces including schools, do establish minimum heating requirements.They state that temperatures must be "reasonable", which is defined as "normally at least 16C" (60F). The National Education Union (NEU) confirms this requirement covers both teaching areas and other spaces within schools, and applies outside normal school hours too.The NEU maintains: "The NEU position remains that temperatures in school classrooms should be at least 18C (64.4F)." According to GOV.UK: "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." The decision to close a school under certain circumstances is ultimately up 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," states GOV.UK. As such, parents should keep an eye out for updates from their child's school during adverse weather conditions.GOV.UK further notes: "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 mandate that local authority maintained schools must have 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.
