Across the Wirral, school staff and pupils are increasingly working in conditions that would be unacceptable in most other workplaces. Classrooms are overheating, learning is being disrupted, and the problem is not going away, it is accelerating.
This is not just about a few hot days each summer. It is about a changing climate colliding with an underfunded and outdated school estate.
A growing problem we can no longer ignore
Across the UK, and felt clearly here in Merseyside, heatwaves are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting, and more intense. The evidence is clear:
- The last decade was 1.24°C warmer than late 20th century averages
- The number of extreme heat days has doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled depending on severity
- “Hot days” above 28°C have more than doubled across England and Wales
In recent years we’ve seen temperatures on Merseyside regularly climb into the high 20s and 30s, with national records exceeding 40°C in 2022 and multiple heatwaves now occurring each year
These are no longer rare events. They are becoming part of the normal school year, including during exams.
What this looks like in Wirral classrooms
Members across the Wirral have reported:
- Classrooms becoming stifling by late morning
- Pupils unable to concentrate, especially in upper floors or temporary buildings
- Staff improvising with fans and water breaks
- Serious concerns during exam periods
This matches national evidence. Studies show:
- Classroom temperatures have exceeded 29°C during UK heatwaves
- The recommended union limit of 26°C is regularly breached
- Even at 24°C, pupils’ concentration and cognitive performance decline
The Department for Education has already acknowledged the impact, estimating that around 6.7 days of learning per year are lost due to heat.
For Wirral schools, this isn’t abstract, it is already happening.
The real issue: the school estate
To understand why this is happening, we must look at the buildings themselves.
Across the Wirral, many schools sit within what can only be described as a patchwork estate:
- Aging Victorian and mid-20th-century buildings
- SCOLA-type system builds from the 1960s–70s
- Newer academy or PFI buildings with glass-heavy designs
Each comes with its own overheating risks—but all share a common problem: they were not designed for today’s climate.
1. Older Wirral school buildings
Our borough still relies heavily on older school infrastructure. These buildings often have:
- Poor airflow and outdated ventilation
- Flat roofs and materials that absorb heat
- Limited shading in playground-facing classrooms
These buildings were designed for a cooler Britain. With rising temperatures, they are increasingly acting as heat traps.
2. System-built and lightweight structures
Many Wirral schools include system-built blocks from the 1960s and 70s. Research shows that:
- Lightweight classrooms with high glazing are especially prone to overheating
These are often the rooms staff report as unbearable during heatwaves.
3. Newer buildings—different problems
Even modern schools on the Wirral are not immune:
- High insulation and airtightness can trap heat inside
- Glass-heavy designs increase solar gain
- Ventilation is often insufficient
Research shows that post-1976 school designs are often more vulnerable to overheating.
In other words, newer does not equal fit for purpose.
A system-wide failure
When you step back, a pattern emerges. This is not about individual schools,it is about a system that has failed to invest properly in its estate.
National projections show:
- Schools could exceed safe temperature limits for up to one-third of the academic year
- Some classrooms could reach 35°C several days each year, making learning impossible
Without intervention, the majority of classrooms could face overheating risks by mid-century.
On the Wirral, where many schools already struggle with maintenance backlogs, the impact is likely to be even worse.
Why this is a union issue
For NEU members across the Wirral, this is not just about comfort, it is about:
- Health and safety: there is still no legal maximum temperature in schools
- Workload: teaching in extreme heat significantly increases stress and fatigue
- Professional standards: learning cannot take place effectively in these conditions
Put simply: no one else would be expected to work like this, and neither should we.
Connecting to the Save Education campaign
This is where the Save Education campaign becomes central.
For years, the campaign has highlighted how sustained underfunding has left schools struggling to meet basic needs.
The overheating crisis exposes this reality in a new and urgent way:
- Schools cannot afford meaningful cooling or retrofit measures
- Capital investment in the estate has fallen far short of need
- Staff and pupils are left to cope with climate impacts without support
What we are seeing on the Wirral is the intersection of two crises:
a climate crisis + a funding crisis = a school estate crisis
What we need now
If we are serious about protecting education on the Wirral, we need:
- Urgent capital investment to retrofit school buildings
- Passive cooling measures (shade, ventilation, green spaces)
- Climate-resilient design standards for new builds
- A legal maximum working temperature for schools
- Clear national funding linked to climate adaptation
Conclusion: time to act
Check out our checklist for heatwaves here
Heatwaves are no longer a future threat—they are already disrupting classrooms across the Wirral.
Our school buildings are not fit for the climate we now live in, and without urgent action, the situation will only get worse.
For education unions, this must now be a collective priority.
The fight to Save Education is about funding, yes—but it is also about ensuring that every school on the Wirral is safe, habitable, and fit for the future.
