School’s air conditioning plea as children sent home from 35C classrooms
The Darul Madinah Islamic School in Slough has launched a GoFundMe appeal to pay for the units, saying ‘every summer is getting warmer’
An Islamic school in Slough has made an urgent plea for financial help to install air conditioning (AC) after this week’s heatwave saw parts of the building reach 35C, forcing it to close its doors early.
The Darul Madinah Islamic School launched its first GoFundMe campaign after children as young as three were struggling to learn in classrooms that became as hot inside as they were outside.
Related content
The school, which teaches about 250 nursery and primary age children, closed at midday on Tuesday after carrying out a risk assessment, and has since been operating on a reduced school day, joining schools across the country that have shortened school hours or closed entirely while temperatures soar above 30C.
It follows a rare red extreme heat warning and red heat health alert across parts of England and Wales, warning of risks to life, disruption to infrastructure and impacts on even the healthy population.
Sofia Nasir, headteacher at the independent Islamic school, told Hyphen staff had tried every option before deciding it was no longer safe for children to remain in class.
“The wellbeing of the children is our highest priority. In extreme heat it’s quite hard for the young children — they’re more vulnerable, therefore we wanted to do something to try to get AC as soon as possible and support the children,” she said.
From Tuesday, staff relaxed the uniform policy, introduced extra rest breaks, handed out ice lollies and cold drinks and organised water play for nursery children in an effort to keep them cool.
“We tried to manage with the fans and everything that we have but ultimately decided that it would be safer for the children to be at home,” she said.
“The children were feeling more lethargic and they didn’t have much energy. They couldn’t concentrate on their learning — they weren’t their usual selves. They were even not wanting to have their snacks and their lunches because of the extreme heat.”
Nasir said the early closure disrupted families, particularly working parents and children with special needs for whom routines are especially important.
The school previously raised £8,000 over two years from 2023 to 2025 through Eid fairs and community fundraising to install air conditioning in its newer Key Stage 2 cabin classrooms for children in years 3 to 6. Now, it is hoping to raise an additional £10,000 to fit five units in its older building, which has no air conditioning and limited ventilation, and houses the nursery, reception, year 1 and year 2 classrooms.
While most students are being sent home at lunchtime all week, some remain at the school in the air-conditioned cabins, including those whose parents need childcare and kids who would struggle with the sudden change in routine.
Scientists have warned that the climate crisis is making heatwaves in the UK more frequent and more intense. Asked whether UK schools were prepared for rising temperatures, Nasir said: “Obviously not, considering how many schools have closed.”
“I do think schools will have to put plans together to see how they can adapt because we can see every summer is getting warmer,” she said. “We are going to be facing these challenges even more now, especially in the older buildings, which I find are more difficult to keep cool.”
Darul Madinah is an independent fee-paying faith school, rather than a state-funded school. Nasir believes more government support should be available to help schools adapt to extreme weather.
“There should be some grants or funds or anything available to support schools, whether it is independent schools or mainstream schools,” she said.
More than £1,400 has been raised so far. If the target is not met, Nasir said the school will continue raising money through community events as it did previously.
