Keeping kids cool at school in summer

Recent years have seen some pretty powerful summer heatwaves across the UK, in common with the high temperatures seen in other countries. Hotter days, occurring more often with greater intensity and for longer periods than previously, are becoming the norm.

This can pose particular health hazards for certain vulnerable groups, including those who are elderly or unwell or who work outside, the homeless and people living in top-floor flats.

Additionally, younger schoolchildren can also be at risk from conditions including heat stroke, and dehydration. There can even be an increased danger of chronic respiratory conditions among some kids.

Every school has a duty of care to its pupils which applies to all aspects of their lives in school, including taking reasonable steps to prevent injury and not exposing them to unreasonable risks.

When it comes to periods of extreme heat, that duty includes keeping a close eye on children and what they’re doing, even when they’re inside. It’s also worth keeping them indoors during the hottest part of the day and monitoring for early signs that a pupil may been affected by excessive heat. There are plenty of other obvious things you can do, including encouraging kids to come inside and rest as necessary, and to wear light, loose-fitting clothes and so on. There are other fun ideas including ice pops, making a paper fan or spraying cold water on paper towels (or putting ice cubes on them) to help children cool down.

At the same time, while exercise is always key, in a heatwave it’s vital to keep this gentle, and to encourage prompt recovery from exercise in the shade.

For example, outdoor gym equipment for schools is a great idea in terms of providing somewhere children can exercise and enjoy a varied workout in the open air and develop their physical and mental well-being while improving muscle strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Additionally, kids learn to work as a team. But, at times of strong heat, you should use facilities like this sensibly, and supervise pupils closely.

Equally, it’s also important that kids stay hydrated and are reminded regularly of the need to take on sufficient fluid to avoid dehydration. So you’ll need to make doubly sure that children remember to bring their water bottles into school, that they drink enough, and to have spares you can give out as necessary.

Keeping your school cool

In a heatwave, providing a comfortable environment in which children can learn and staff can work effectively is paramount. In some schools, especially those with older buildings, it may not be cost-effective to install air conditioning throughout all the buildings. But there is a solution, in the form of hired, temporary air conditioning units, which may prove to be considerably cheaper than buying these outright.

Another idea is to consider chiller hire solutions which tap into existing (heating) systems to provide a means of cooling and an alternative to air conditioning, and, again this can be a solution provided as a temporary arrangement to deal with periods of extreme heat. While it is possible to rent a chiller at short notice to deal with a heatwave, this is not an ideal option.

Certainly, it’s worth planning these solutions now, so that you’re well prepared come next summer. But if you thought hiring a chiller would be a disaster for the environment, you might want to think again. Temporary chillers can run on an energy-efficient refrigerant which has strong environmental credentials to give you peace of mind.

Look for a provider that will look after your needs from start to finish with F-Gas-certified service and installation engineers, with a full site inspection undertaken at the start of the project. You also want full insurance of maintenance and management throughout the life of your chiller hire contract.

So think about how you will keep children, staff and buildings cool and safe when the weather warms up again next year, especially if your existing systems are likely to be down for a time due to servicing or maintenance requirements.

No one likes to think of extreme weather, whatever form that may take, disrupting the life of a school. After all, in the worst-case scenarios, schools may even have to close temporarily. However, renting a chiller solution can be one way of ensuring that you all stay cool next summer so that your site remains operational and no one needs to be sent home.