Why is it an issue?

Overheating is a critical issue for schools, impacting on teaching, learning, health, and wellbeing, particularly during exam periods.  

Most school buildings lack resilience to rising temperatures and climate change, with a recent Department for Education report stating that 'in the longer term, without the implementation of any adaptation measures, students could potentially lose up to 12 days of learning per year on average, as a result of generally warmer temperatures and not just from extreme heat.' 

What can we do?

Our Cooler Schools campaign aims to bring the issue of overheating and lack of funding available for adaptation measures in schools onto the agenda, by encouraging schools to share their stories. On social media, look for and share using #WeWantCoolerSchools.

Schools can sign up to the campaign and visit the Cooler Schools Padlet page for resources, where RAFT offer guidance on quick, low or no-cost, and passive strategies that schools can deploy to improve their comfort.

RAFT have produced a Theory of Change, below, and we will collate your posts and stories to build an evidence base and campaign to advocate for change. Stay tuned for our next steps. 

Please ensure that you have the necessary photo permissions in place from your pupils and staff to be posting photos on this page.