Celebrity mum Lydia Bright leads Britain’s fuming parents in criticising ‘lazy’ teachers for shutting schools for days on a whim during record June heatwave – causing childcare chaos and leaving youngsters sweltering at home instead
TOWIE star Lydia Bright has led parents in England to criticize teachers who closed schools during a record-breaking heatwave, saying children will be sweating at home instead.
As Britons prepare for temperatures of 40C and above this week, more than 1,000 schools across the UK are closing their doors or reducing opening hours as of Wednesday.
Lydia, mother of six-year-old Loretta, criticized the decision to close her primary school at short notice, pointing out that the move ’caused problems for working parents’.
Others branded teachers ‘lazy’ on social media, claiming they were just looking for a day off and pointing out that workers in other sectors were still expected to work.
A caller to LBC this morning warned that Britain was ‘breeding an erotic nation’ ‘ill-prepared for real life in this tough world’.
Lydia is currently on a collaboration cruise with the P&O Cruises brand in the Mediterranean and told her Instagram followers that she is desperately trying to arrange extra childcare for her daughter.
‘Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?’ he asked his 1.2 million followers.
‘At 7.15pm on Monday night I received an email saying that due to the heat the school would be closing at 1pm on Tuesday and now today and Thursday. ‘I’m having trouble getting my head around it.’
‘Children all over the world sit in classrooms without air conditioning in these temperatures every day,’ he continued.
TOWIE star Lydia Bright has been criticized for announcing her daughter’s primary school will close at the last minute due to the UK heatwave
More than 1,000 schools across the UK are closing or reducing opening hours from Wednesday. Lydia, mother of six-year-old Loretta, criticized her school’s decision, pointing out that the emergency closure ’caused problems for working parents’.
‘Our children spend all day happily on holiday in this heat, and when we collect them at 13.00, we take them to houses with the same temperature. Maybe I’m missing something?’
‘I’m currently abroad trying to rearrange plans for Loretta and I know I won’t be the only working parent trying to change their schedules and commitments.’
Lydia, who shares custody of Loretta with ex-boyfriend Lee Cronin, concluded her post: ‘It feels like we’re solving a problem by creating a problem for hundreds of working families.’
Twelve schools in Lydia’s hometown of Essex confirmed full or partial closure on Wednesday, with most switching to remote learning.
Parents are facing major disruption after at least 578 schools in England and more than 500 in Wales announced full or partial closure due to concerns about dangerous classroom temperatures.
Around 100 schools in Somerset closed on Wednesday and Thursday, while around 100 schools in Buckinghamshire and dozens of schools in Gloucestershire also announced full or partial closure.
In other schools, uniform rules have been relaxed and students are allowed to attend school in PE kits rather than blazers and long trousers.
But the measures were criticized by parents and social media users.
Calling LBC, James said the decision to close schools had left children ‘unprepared for real life in this challenging world’.
He told presenter Henry Riley: ‘We are raising a nation of moles. As you said before, we have children locked in their bedrooms.
‘They are so unprepared for what real life is like in this harsh world.’
The former TOWIE star is currently on a P&O Cruises brand collaboration cruise in the Mediterranean and told her Instagram followers she was trying to arrange extra childcare.
Meanwhile, one person shared the following on social media: ‘Why can schools close at their own discretion, but if a parent takes his own child from class that day, he is threatened with fines and investigation.
‘Teachers are lazy and ask for a day off.’
It all comes after the rare red extreme heat warning covering London, parts of the Midlands and south-east Wales came into force for the second time this morning.
The Met Office has since extended it by three hours until 11.59pm on Thursday and other southern parts of Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex.
A yellow extreme heat warning was issued covering eastern and central England on Friday and parts of eastern England on Saturday.
As well as the heat, there is also a chance of thunderstorms in south-west England on Thursday evening, with a yellow warning in place.
The forecaster predicted temperatures could reach 40°C this week and said the exceptional conditions pose a risk to life not just for vulnerable people but for the wider population.
The UK’s highest recorded temperature was 40.3C, set in Coningsby in July 2022.
Forecasters have issued an ominous warning, saying they expect the 50-year June temperature record of 35.6C to be ‘certainly broken’.
