The first thing to melt in a British heatwave isn’t tarmac – it’s any pretence that the country is prepared for hot weather.
Every summer now follows a familiar script: temperatures climb beyond the high twenties and trains struggle, roads buckle and offices become unbearable. Then, after a few uncomfortable days, the weather changes and everyone forgets about it until the following year.
Except… some people simply can’t. Millions of schoolchildren and hundreds of thousands of teachers spend the hottest days of the year inside buildings that were never designed to cope with prolonged heat. I should know – because I am one of them.
Air-conditioned offices remain the preserve of large corporations and modern developments, while much of Britain’s school estate is still made up of ageing Victorian buildings with poor insulation, single glazing and classrooms that become greenhouses by mid-afternoon. It isn’t simply uncomfortable, but potentially a genuine health and educational issue.
Britain’s workplace temperature laws belong to a different climate. Employers are expected to provide a safe working environment, with guidance that indoor workplaces should not fall below 16°C (13°C for physically demanding jobs). Yet, there is no legal maximum temperature at all.
