Thousands of pupils will either not be able to attend school this week or will head home earlier than usual because of full or partial school closures amid the extreme heat.
Hundreds of schools have made decisions to either close completely, send children home early or make other adjustments such as relaxing uniform rules to help keep students and staff safe and comfortable.
It comes as a heat dome settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to 40C by Wednesday, with this latest heatwave expected to surpass the record for June set in Hampshire in 1976.
Some 100 schools will be at least partly closed in Somerset over the next three days, with a similar number in Buckinghamshire, 90 in Oxfordshire and more than 80 in Gloucestershire, according to council data.
Around 35 schools will be shut or operating on more limited opening hours in Hampshire, as will more than 20 in Worcestershire and multiple across the capital.
Many have explicitly cited red weather warnings and extreme heat for the reasons behind closures, with some explaining that classrooms lack air conditioning and that travel to and from school could be risky in the high temperatures.
Extend Learning Academies Network, which runs nine primary schools across north Somerset, said in a letter to parents and carers that the schools will be closed all day on Wednesday and Thursday ‘due to the forecast severe heat’.
‘The safety of our pupils, staff and families remains our top priority,’ the trust said.
‘We understand that these closures may cause inconvenience, but this decision has been made to ensure the well-being of everyone in our school community.’
Wessex Learning Trust, which runs 23 academies in the southwest of England, announced in a post on Instagram that schools will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday ‘to keep children, families and staff safe’.
It said pupils will receive work during the closure period and families will be contacted about any trips, visits or events that may be affected.
Wyvern College in Eastleigh, Hampshire, which will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, said its leavers’ assembly and prom will take place with adjustments for heat.