Preschool warns heat is negatively impacting pupils

The manager of a pre-school playgroup has said the negative impact that hot weather has on children cannot be ignored any longer.

Elaine Kilner has worked at Sunnyside Preschool Playgroup in Kingsthorpe, Northamptonshire, for 26 years and said this summer's record temperatures have made it increasingly hard to keep children cool.

She said that children heat up four times faster than adults and they often do not realise they are overheating.

"[The heat] has a negative impact on children's ability to engage in activities, it's very difficult for them to concentrate in this heat, so it's been really difficult to maintain an effective learning environment," she added.

The manager has started a community fundraiser to help pay for air-conditioning at the preschool, which she said would improve the environment for students and staff.

"Although many years ago we just had to get on with it, we need to take better care of our children now," she said.

"It's a mobile classroom, so the materials used to construct the building are not suited to the hot weather. It's like trying to work in a greenhouse," Kilner said.

"We've noticed that [the heat is] beginning to impact the children, reducing concentration, increasing fatigue and general discomfort," she added.

Kilner, who works with children aged two to four, told the BBC that methods the preschool uses to keep pupils cool - such as turning on fans, staying in the shade, drinking water and wearing a hat - were not effective enough anymore.

"We needed to find a long-term solution because we can't close, we can't do reduced hours because all our parents are working families and obviously they can't take time off either."

Kilner added: "With climate change, the heat feels more intense and it's lasting a lot longer. I think we're more aware of child development and how heat, and low attendance, impacts them.

"We need to make sure that [students and staff] are in an environment that's suitable in all weathers to be educated."

Kilner said children can go pale and lethargic when the heat gets too much.

"We have to be really mindful and really vigilant watching them, making sure that they're hydrated to avoid fainting.

"Like the football, we keep having hydration breaks," she added.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who visited Beanfield Primary School in Corby, Northamptonshire, last month, said: "There's been a big job of work left in order to really make sure that all our schools are modern buildings that are able to deliver a brilliant education for our children.

"We are investing a lot of money in making that a reality, but I think the challenges that schools are facing around the extreme weather at the moment demonstrate that there's more to do."

She said the government had allocated £2.4bn in 2025/26 to improve the condition of school and college estates.

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