Boy, 15, punished for taking off blazer in school as Britain battles blistering heatwave

15 July 2022, 09:25

By Charlotte Lynch

@charlotterlynch

A 15-year-old boy was put in to isolation for a day at his school in Sussex because he took his blazer off as temperatures neared 30C.

Tim Davies, from Essex, told LBC that his son Ollie, who is about to take his GCSE exams, missed out on a day of classes last week to sit in "a tiny room in a booth".

He took off his blazer as Britain bakes in sweltering conditions - and the Met Office has issued an extreme from Sunday until the end of Tuesday, with fears the UK could smash its temperature record and sizzle in temperatures as high as 40C.

He said: "Ollie was on his lunch break and came in hot with his blazer off. He was told off by a teacher at the bottom of the stairs who said to put it on, because it's uniform and you've got to wear it.

"He did, he put it on and then climbed three sets of stairs which is a long way up. He took his blazer off again because he was melting.

"The same teacher saw him again and put him in isolation."

Mr Davies said he called the school in the Sudbury area and spoke to the teacher concerned who "didn't back down". LBC has agreed not to name the school.

He said, "I do agree that rules are rules. But he's 15, he's just doing his O-levels [GCSE's], so he had to miss a day of that to be in a tiny room in a booth."

When asked how it made Ollie feel, Mr Davies said: "He was really upset about it. He said 'I've got a lot of work to do' and this has happened 'just because I took my blazer off'".

The school has since U-turned and will allow pupils to take their blazers off if they're too hot, as temperatures are forecast to reach almost 38C.

Read more: Emergency COBRA meeting called ahead of 3-day 102F 'exceptional' heatwave

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the former Chief Inspector of Schools in England and former head of Ofsted, told LBC the teacher was being "silly".

He said headteachers must adopt a "reasonable, common sense approach", because children are "uncomfortable and can't learn in class".

Sir Michael suggested parents could even take head teachers to court if they feel their child's safety is being compromised.

He told LBC: "The headteacher couldn't defend themselves over this policy if he or she was adopting an unreasonable approach.

"If it did go that far, courts would ask if the teacher acted in a reasonable and common sense manner with the safety and welfare of children at heart."

He also said a "critical report" would be produced by Ofsted if inspectors found these conditions.

Read more: Met Office extends 'danger to life' weather warning and urges people to stay indoors

The Department for Education has issued heatwave advice for schools including encouraging children to wear "loose, light-coloured clothing" and "sun hats with wide brims" to school

Open windows as early as possible in the morning before children arrive, or overnight to allow stored heat to escape the building, the advice adds.

It also recommends keeping the use of electric light to a minimum and switching off electric equipment, such as computers, when not in use, and using oscillating mechanical fans when temperatures are below 35C, but not above as they may not prevent heat-related illness and could worsen dehydration.