Do Irish schools close in heatwave? How hot does it have to be for classes to shut & do students have to wear uniform?

The Irish Sun

6 hours ago

IRELAND is set for a scorching 25C heatwave over the coming days, with temperatures hotter than Tenerife.
However, with mercury rising and rising many
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Temperatures will be particularly high on Thursday and Friday
Credit: Meteologix
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There is a specific temperature schools will be required to close at
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Both Met Eireann and
Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel said: "We can say with certainty that Ireland will experience its warmest temperatures of the year to date this week, as very warm air from the Iberian peninsula is pulled northwards on the back of a southerly airflow."
The meteorologist also revealed temperatures could soar closer to the 30s.
He explained: "Thursday and Friday will be both very warm or locally hot days with temperatures generally reaching between 23-26C, but locally reaching up to 27C or even 28C in prolonged spells of sunshine or areas northwest of high ground.
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"The weekend remains very warm but increasingly humid with some models indicating a risk of thunderstorms developing through Saturday as a trough emerges from the Bay of Biscay, something we'll be keeping a close eye on."
While secondary schools have long since shut their doors for the summer, primary
Primary schools usually close the last week in June, giving little ones another two weeks in the classroom before they shut the books for the
But how hot does it have to be before schools are forced to close over safety concerns?
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In most cases, schools will not be required to close during a
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However, it does depend on each individual school and factors impacting them.
For example if the air-conditioning is broken or water supply interrupted during the extreme heat, the school may opt to close.
In most cases there would need to be a weather warning in place before we would see a mass closure of schools across the country.
And even at that schools generally only tend to close during an orange or red weather warning.
'THREAT TO LIFE' WARNINGS
To require an orange "threat to life" warning temperatures would need to reach a maxima in excess of 30C for three days and minima of 20C for two nights.
In a Status Red weather warning, all schools and universities are required to shut.
For this level of alert, temperatures would be required to hit 30C during the day and 20C at night but for five or more
consecutive days and nights.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD
There is some health and safety advice for parents and teachers to follow in extreme heat, even if schools are not closed.
First, parents should make sure they're putting a sunscreen on their child before sending them off to school for the day.
This way they're protected for UV rays waiting for the bus, hanging around the yard or on their lunch break.
Secondly, make sure they have a bottle of water with them to keep hydrated during the warmer weather, especially if they're running around in the playground at breaktime.
UNIFORM POLICY IN HOT WEATHER
During a heatwave it is expected teachers will keep classrooms well ventilated with air-conditioning or opening doors and windows.
Some schools may also relax their uniform policy allowing children to remove their jumpers, wear shorts or opt for a no uniform day altogether.
During periods of exceptional weather it is important to keep an eye on any text alerts coming from your child's school or letters coming home in the school bag.
It may also happen that schools will attempt to reduce physical activities during very hot
This could mean matches, afterschool activities or even sports days could be called off.
Again, it is important to keep a careful eye on an notifications from your child's school.
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There are things you can do to keep little ones more comfortable during the heat
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