Steve Chalke, the founder of Oasis, has announced that all Oasis schools will remain open throughout the heatwave to help parents. He shared the announcement in a tweet which stated that the schools have been thinking about how to keep students and staff ‘as cool as possible.’
‘Good news! All Oasis schools will remain open throughout the heat wave. Why? We’ve thought about how to keep all our students (& staff) as cool as possible. Many of our children’s homes are small & very hot. Our parents have to work to earn. Our job is to serve all our families!’ the tweet reads.
However, the tweet was met with mixed responses. Some parents praised the decision to keep schools open, while others raised concerns for students in the heat, such as those who travel to school by bus and train.
Mixed reaction
One person wrote: ‘Steve, what about those pupils that have to travel home from school in the afternoon by public transport? Weather Forecast is 36c at 4pm. How are you keeping them safe and cool?’
Meanwhile, another Twitter user said: ‘Sounds like a very sensible approach pleased to say both my son’s schools are taking a similar approach. Great to see schools putting children and families first.’
Oasis began in 2004 with three secondary schools in Enfield, Grimsby, and Immingham, and have since become one of the largest Multi-Academy Trusts in England.
The heatwave has been worrying people across the country, as temperatures could read 40°C on Monday and Tuesday in some parts of the UK.
Change routines
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, said that ‘it is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines’ as this level of heat can have ‘adverse health effects.’
‘Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely early next week, quite widely across the red warning area on Monday, and focussed a little more east and north on Tuesday. Currently there is a 50% chance we could see temperatures top 40°C and 80% we will see a new maximum temperature reached,’ Gundersen said in a press release.
How can families stay safe in the heat? Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA states that you must keep hydrated and find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm.
Many schools have allowed pupils to wear PE kit of their own clothes to school due to the weather being too hot for normal uniform. Others have cancelled events such as sports day due to the heat.