Schools across Britain are keeping children indoors during heatwaves in controversial “hot play” sessions, sparking fierce debate about whether the practice protects pupils or risks creating a generation unable to cope with warm weather.
The policy, which mirrors the long-established “wet play” sessions during rain, sees students confined to classrooms when playgrounds are deemed “too hot to use safely” – a move critics have branded “absolute nonsense” that could turn children into “wimps”.
Former head teacher Chris McGovern, Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, warned the practice was “the worst possible way forward” for children’s development, whilst MPs and campaigners lined up to condemn what they see as excessive mollycoddling.
“Common Sense” Versus Safety Concerns
Mr McGovern, who taught for 35 years, told The Telegraph: “Any teacher knows that the worst thing you can do on a hot day is to keep children confined into the classroom.”
Whilst acknowledging that “situations where a particular child needs to stay indoors” exist and that shaded areas should be provided, he insisted “common sense” should prevail.
“We’re making them into wimps. We don’t want to make children into wimps,” McGovern warned. “We want to toughen them up a little bit.”
He argued that restricting children’s freedom risked damaging their long-term mental health, calling it an “awful childhood we’re inflicting on them” and noting it encouraged increased screen time on iPads and mobile phones – “the opposite of what we want.
Political Backlash
The practice has drawn sharp political criticism. Mid Buckinghamshire MP Greg Smith dismissed the policy as “absolute nonsense”, accusing schools of attempting to “wrap children in bubble wrap.
“The correct answer is to take precautions in heat – hats, sun cream, light clothing – not hide from warm weather,” Smith said.
Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg offered a characteristically caustic response, expressing surprise that the WWF “thinks children count as wildlife.
“I am not sure the children of England are that feral,” he said. “Letting children enjoy the sunshine is only natural, and I fear these woke charities have too much time and money on their hands.”
WWF Calls for Natural Surfaces
The practice has been highlighted by environmental charity WWF, which is campaigning for schools to use more natural surfaces rather than artificial ones to “mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
The charity claims many schools have replaced natural features including grass and trees with heat-retaining materials such as tarmac, which “exacerbate the impact of high temperatures.
Research has shown that synthetic playground surfaces can reach dangerous temperatures. A scientific study found that black and dark-coloured wet pour rubber and synthetic turf reached maximum surface temperatures exceeding 80°C, with one blue rubber dolphin play equipment recording 91.8°C – hot enough to cause contact burns.
Climate Change Concerns
WWF’s Director of Campaigns, Education and Youth, Rosalind Mist, argued that climate change meant “we’re facing more and more extreme weather” with schools particularly vulnerable to overheating and flooding risks.
“Luckily, there is an easy and reasonably cheap solution – adding more nature and more natural surfaces to school grounds,” she said. Not only does this help mitigate the effects of extreme weather, it also has a wide range of benefits for pupils, from increasing resilience and concentration to better mental health.
The charity is urging the Government to update school premises regulations, which it claims are “outdated” and have changed little since the 1950s, to ensure pupils have access to natural surfaces like grass, soil and sand.
Rising Temperatures
The debate comes as Britain faces increasingly frequent heatwaves due to climate change. Met Office data shows June 2025 was England’s warmest on record with a mean temperature of 16.9°C, whilst the UK recorded its second warmest June since records began in 1884.
In July 2022, the UK experienced its first recorded temperature above 40°C when Coningsby in Lincolnshire reached 40.3°C, leading to significant disruption including school closures. The UK Health Security Agency reported close to 3,000 heat-related excess deaths in England that summer.
A new Met Office study warns there is now a 50-50 chance of seeing another 40°C day within the next 12 years, with the likelihood of exceeding this threshold now 20 times higher than in the 1960s.
Official Guidance
Government guidance does not advise schools to close during hot weather, stating that “school attendance is the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential” and that “hot weather can usually be managed safely.
The Department for Health and Social Care recommends children should not take part in vigorous physical activity on very hot days, with lessons adapted for more sedentary activities when appropriate. Schools are advised to open windows early in the morning or overnight, use blinds or curtains to block direct sunlight, and ensure children have access to plenty of water.
Expert Opinion Divided
LBC presenter Nick Ferrari weighed into the debate, arguing that keeping children indoors during both rain and heat was “ridiculous”.
“We are breeding generations who, when it rains, don’t know they can go out – because as children, they never did,” Ferrari wrote. Some of the best sport I ever played – and I wasn’t exactly any good at the damn thing – was in the pouring rain and even in the snow.
However, health experts note that children are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures as they cannot regulate their body temperature as efficiently as adults. The UK Health Security Agency has published specific guidance for schools to help manage extreme heat safely.
A Question of Balance
The controversy highlights broader tensions between child safety and resilience-building, with schools caught between protecting pupils from genuine health risks and accusations of overprotection.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, the debate over how to balance safety with outdoor activity is likely to intensify. Whether the solution lies in better playground design, clearer guidelines, or simply applying “common sense” remains a contentious issue dividing educators, politicians and parents alike.
For now, as temperatures rise and “hot play” policies spread, the question remains: are schools protecting children or preventing them from learning to cope with the realities of a warming world?
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Image Credit:
Deptford Park Primary School – Photo by Stephen Craven, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
