- Nearly one in five school sessions in England were missed on 26 June, the peak of last month's heatwave , with an estimated 18.4 per cent pupil absence rate.
- This figure represents the highest daily absence rate recorded so far during the 2025/26 academic year, coinciding with temperatures of 37.7C and a “red” weather warning.
- The absence rate rose steadily throughout the week of the heatwave, climbing from 6.8 per cent on 22 June to its peak of 18.4 per cent by 26 June.
- Over 1,000 schools either closed or partially closed on the Thursday and Friday of that week, according to the Press Association , with many citing the extreme heat, lack of air conditioning and travel risks as reasons.
- Education secretary Bridget Phillipson had urged parents to send children to school if they remained open, warning “every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost”.
IN FULL
