Severe Weather Warning
After careful consideration we have taken the difficult decision to close the schools temporarily due to extreme heat forecast later this week.
The Met Office has issued a red heat health alert for extreme heat on Wednesday and Thursday this week – a red alert indicates a significant risk to life for even the healthy population. More information can be found here. Temperatures are expected to reach exceptionally high levels, and guidance highlights that these conditions may pose a risk to all individuals, not just those who are more vulnerable.
As a Trust, our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our learners, staff, and wider community. Despite exploring a range of mitigating actions, such as adjusted timetables, reduced physical activity, and measures to keep classrooms cool, we have concluded that we cannot guarantee a safe learning environment across our school sites during the peak of the heat.
Key factors informing this decision include:
- Prolonged high temperatures within classrooms, many of which are not designed for extreme heat
- Limited ability to sufficiently cool indoor spaces
- Inability to mitigate against risks of heat stroke and heat exhaustion in learners and staff
- Risks associated with travel to and from school in these conditions
- The potential impact on learner concentration, wellbeing and safety
All Olympus schools will therefore be closed on Wednesday 24 June and Thursday 25 June, in line with the period of highest risk identified in the weather warning.
Please note that all schools will be open as usual on Tuesday 23 June and Friday 26 June. Any visits or events scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday should be assumed to be cancelled.
Staying Safe in Hot Weather
The following link provides advice for everyone on how to stay safe during hot weather, including the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke – here.
While we recognise that in very hot weather children and young people may look for ways to cool down, including going near water, it is important to be aware that rivers, lakes and reservoirs remain extremely cold. Entering the water suddenly can cause “cold water shock”, which can lead to loss of breathing control, panic and an inability to swim, even for strong swimmers. Further information can be found here.
