Schools: Temperature
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help schools adapt to rising temperatures.
Answered by Josh MacAlister
The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment. We continue to support responsible bodies and schools to provide education in a safe environment. The department has also published guidance to support education settings during hot weather, available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/. This advice draws on guidance from the UK Health Security Agency.
We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy. This includes a new Renewal and Retrofit Programme, backed by £710 million to 2029/30, to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so buildings can last for decades to come and are net zero ready. We are investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate, and investing almost £20 billion through to 2034/35 in the School Rebuilding Programme to rebuild over 750 schools across England with buildings that are future proofed against the risks of climate change.
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