Teachers Campaign for Cooler Classrooms

A new survey of teachers has found that children are being taught in classrooms where it is too hot to learn.

The survey, carried out for the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), found that one in three teachers reported classroom temperatures of over 31C whilst three quarters reported temperatures reaching at least 24C.

NASUWT, which published the survey at its annual conference in Birmingham this week, is campaigning for a legal maximum temperature for classrooms. It is campaigning for action to be taken if classroom temperatures reach 24C and for the right for teachers and pupils to walk out if temperatures reach 30C. Nearly half of those teachers surveyed believe that pupils’ ability to concentrate was impaired once the classroom temperature reached 24C whilst 82 per cent said the ability to learn was “considerably adversely affected” at 30C.

“Good school design and construction should provide efficient facilities and a good environment for both staff and pupils, that should include a pleasant and productive ambient temperature,” said Tom De Saulles, Building Physicist at MPA The Concrete Centre. “Realising the potential of thermal mass as part of a passive design solution can help to keep schools cool without recourse to energy guzzling air-conditioning.”

Passive design is highly sustainable and involves taking advantage of a building’s thermal mass as part of an integrated approach that includes a balance between orientation, glazing, ventilation and shading, as well as the provision of a high standard of insulation and air tightness. Thermal mass has been found to be best achieved using heavyweight concrete and masonry construction. Buildings with a high level of thermal mass are characterised by their ability to soak up and release heat at different times of the day. In the summer, heat is absorbed on hot days. This helps to prevent overheating and reduces the requirement of energy intensive air conditioning. Cool night air is used to ventilate the building and purge the accumulated heat from the building’s fabric. In the winter, heat gains from the sun and from lighting and electrical equipment are absorbed into the thermal mass and radiated in the evenings to reduce the need for heating.

“The use of thermal mass, provided by heavyweight construction as part of a passive design approach, can considerably reduce internal temperature.  Teachers and pupils can then concentrate on lessons and not on the rising thermometer,” said De Saulles.

Ref: TCC765