Pupils told to wear layers amid school heating issues

Children at a school in Gloucestershire are having to wear extra layers of clothing because their school heating system can only run at 50% capacity and needs replacing.

Bishop's Cleeve Primary Academy sent out a letter to parents earlier this month explaining the issues they face with their main heating system.

Parents were told that on the colder days during the winter months, the system will not be able to increase its output further, and some areas of the school may feel colder.

The school has instead had to rely on heaters placed throughout the school, some of which have been donated by parents.

The DfE said the government has given a long-term commitment backed by funding through to 2034-35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England. This will see them investing almost £3bn per year in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of schools and colleges, rising from £2.4bn currently.

Bishop's Cleeve Primary may also apply for urgent capital support at any time if they are experiencing serious and urgent issues that threaten the operation of the school, and which cannot be managed independently or that cannot wait for a future funding round, a DfE spokesperson added.

Reform UK County Councillor Leigh Challis said parents need transparency and has asked for temperature readings to be shared so families can be reassured that conditions are now safe.

In a recent newsletter, the head teacher said temperatures in the main school building are comfortable at the moment so children do not need to wear extra layers for the time being.

The school has been seeking extra funding to replace the heating system which is expected to cost about £1m.

They have applied to the government's Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for support over the last three years, but their previous bids have not been successful.

Some parents have written to their local MP in an effort to raise awareness of the issue.

The school is part of the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance Trust (GLA), which is funded directly by the Department for Education (DfE).

Linda Cohen, education and skills cabinet member, said: "The trust has assessed temperatures in all classrooms and installed additional electric heaters in areas most affected."

GLA chief finance and operations officer Hannah Dell said the trust has been actively trying to secure government funding for the replacement of the old boiler and heating system at the school for a number of years.

"The trust has invested significant amounts of money to minimise the risk and impact of the ageing heating system, as well as in local heaters for the cooler areas of the school," he said.

"We remain hopeful that the latest CIF bid will be successful and have contingency plans in place should we need them to ensure we can continue to educate our pupils in a warm and safe environment."