Pupils want to stay in school despite 'boiling' weather

Students at a Suffolk school said they did not want to take time out of classes as a heatwave leads to temperatures reaching above 30C.

An amber weather warning for extreme heat is in place until 23:59 BST on Thursday for most of the county, as well as a red heat health alert warning of risk to life.

Temperatures are expected to reach about 35C in areas later, while Thursday will be at about 30C before Friday similarly peaks at about 38C.

One school in the county is closing due to the heat, but not Debenham High where students told the BBC they did not want to miss lessons.

Jessica, 15, is head girl at the school and felt it was better to be at school, where some of the rooms were air conditioned, than at home in this weather.

"It's probably cooler here because we've actually got air conditioning and I don't really want to miss any of my lessons and have to catch up," she said.

She said pupils had been encouraged to bring in refillable water bottles and that they were using rooms with air conditioning for lessons.

Asked how important she felt it was to stick to the rules to keep cool, she said: "I think it's very important because it might even be record-breaking heat this week and nobody wants to become ill due to it, so if we all follow the rules, hopefully everyone will stay nice and cool."

Tyrell, 14, is head boy at the school and said having air conditioning was helping the pupils "stay focused".

"It is quite hot outside at break and lunch, but students don't have to go outside, so it's alright," he said.

"In the lessons, it's nice and cool. Maybe moving through the school it can be a bit hot."

He added: "I wouldn't want to miss out on lesson time due to the weather, so the school's making great changes to avoid missing learning time for students."

Simon Martin is the headteacher at Debenham High School and said in his nearly 30 years of teaching, he had not worked in a school that closed due to extreme heat.

He did not expect to have to close the school, but said precautions were in place including moving sports day to next week and allowing students to wear PE kits.

He explained: "I think the first thing is that it's no cooler at home than it is here, so actually having them in school, why wouldn't we?

"We've put certain things into place, so we've relaxed our uniform rules, we moved children around, so where there's rooms which we know are cooler, we are lucky that about a third of our rooms have air conditioning, so we can move classes into there where at all possible."

He added that the "most important" thing was to recognise "where others might be finding it more difficult".

"Whether that's physically or whether it's emotionally, and just providing the support for those to make sure they can get through the day and still do what they need to do," he said.

Elsewhere Cedarwood Primary School in Kesgrave announced it would be shut on Wednesday due to the heat.

On Tuesday there were also water supply issues that led to Mendlesham Primary School closing for the day.

The Met Office has warned people to expect "adverse health effects", changes in working practices and daily routines, and some delays on roads.

Meanwhile the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) which issued a red heat health alert for the county warned there was a "risk to life even for the healthy population".

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA said: "It is vitally important that people understand the risk posed by high temperatures like these, and take steps to keep themselves and their friends, families and neighbours safe.

"A red heat health alert indicates a risk to life for even the healthy population, but simple actions like staying hydrated, avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day, and keeping your home cool can make a big difference.

"It's also important to look out for others, especially elderly relatives, neighbours, and those with underlying health conditions, to make sure they are aware of the forecast and following the necessary advice."

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