Cool heads, healthy learning:
How can schools become heat-resilient?

Extreme heat, such as that experienced most recently in June 2026, is likely to occur more frequently in future. High temperatures not only make people sluggish and unproductive; they also pose health risks. How can we organise classrooms and the school day in such a way as to safeguard the health and performance of pupils and teachers? The experts at the Dialogue Forum discussed possible solutions to prepare schools for heatwaves.

Schools are very special places. They are where children and young people develop their personalities, where they discover the world and are prepared for life, as Harald Lesch, Professor of Astrophysics at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, explained. “Schools are political actors without ever having been declared as such. For everything we negotiate through language in our society is political,” he said, paraphrasing the philosopher Hannah Arendt.

If schools are to fulfil their social role, Lesch continued, we must enable them to actually carry out their work. “We have to accept that climate change has placed us in an absolutely unique situation,” he emphasised. As temperatures rise, he explained, people can no longer think clearly, react incorrectly and reach their physical limits more quickly. He therefore called for: “We must make schools heat-resilient. Because we bear responsibility for pupils and teachers, keeping them cool is essential.”

To make matters worse, children aged between six and 14 are not yet able to regulate their body temperature properly, as paediatrician Dr Christof Wettach explained. If the core body temperature rises too sharply, the proteins in the body change and damage occurs. “Children are also at greater risk of heatstroke and sunburn. That is why we must also make school playgrounds more heat-resilient,” he said. Particular caution is required with children suffering from chronic illnesses. According to Wettach, the optimal temperature for learning is between 20 and 23 degrees. From 26 degrees onwards, the ability to concentrate decreases significantly. “At over 30 degrees, physical performance drops to 50 per cent,” he emphasised. Dr Gerald Quitterer, President of the Bavarian Medical Association and a GP, added: “We know that children and young people are eight times more at risk of acute heat-related illnesses such as exhaustion or collapse than adults.”

Chiara Matthies, a student and student representative, described how the rising temperatures are specifically affecting everyday school life: “You really feel the temperatures during exams. You can tell when your concentration starts to wane and you’re no longer able to take things in.” Her experiences illustrate that high temperatures not only pose a health risk but also have a direct impact on learning and performance.

Ines Heinz, a teacher and the initiator of the working group tasked with drawing up heat protection plans for schools, explained how schools can be made more heat-resilient. “There are four main areas of action. If we can piece these together like a jigsaw, then I hope we’ll be on the right track.” The first step, she said, is to inform and raise awareness amongst the school community – that is, teaching staff, pupils, parents and those in charge – about the problems caused by rising temperatures. Next, responsibilities and points of contact must be established within the groups. Once these issues have been clarified, action can be taken, although close coordination between the school community and the funding body is necessary. At the same time, long-term measures must be tackled, such as heat protection for buildings or the removal of hard surfaces in school playgrounds. “This is perhaps the most difficult area, the one requiring the most stakeholders,” she explained. This is because, when it comes to these large-scale and structural measures, the school community has much less influence. She appealed to all colleagues to make pupils feel that they are seen, heard and not left on their own. “Even small steps are incredibly important for the school community.”

Dr Eva-Franziska Matthies-Wiesler presented a concrete plan for heat-resilient schools. She is a senior researcher at the Helmholtz Munich research network. The model heat protection plan for schools is based on two pillars, which Ines Heinz has already referred to. In addition to cooperation within the school community on organisational and behavioural heat protection measures, structural and building-related measures are necessary to improve heat resilience. It is important to allow sufficient lead time for this. “The individual measures begin as early as September, so that we are prepared for the following summer and can implement them at a moment’s notice during heatwaves such as the one we recently experienced,” she said. The German Weather Service’s early warning system, with its various warning levels, is crucial for triggering heat protection measures. This system takes into account various factors that influence what is known as the ‘perceived temperature’. However, the temperature inside the school itself – which may differ from the outside temperature – is also important for heat resilience.

This is where the 26–30–35 temperature threshold set out in the Workplace Regulations comes into play. According to these regulations, a room without special protection is deemed unsuitable for work and learning if the temperature rises above 35 degrees. At temperatures above 30 degrees, measures such as shorter lessons, water breaks or technical cooling are required. “Even at 26 degrees, it is recommended to use blinds or ventilate the room early,” she explained. As part of the heat protection plan, Helmholtz Munich can offer interested schools a support framework comprising training courses, practical examples and information material. “The heat-resilient school must become the norm. We are ready whenever the schools want to get started. I hope the plan will be widely used,” she said.

Until then, outdoor lessons offer a way of reducing heat stress. Looking beyond national borders is also helpful. “France is already investing a great deal of money in making schools heat-resilient and has drawn up organisational and behavioural measures for dealing with heat,” explained Matthies-Wiesler. In Italy, on the other hand, the school holidays run from mid-June to mid-September. “It’s not the children and teachers who are complaining then, but the parents,” she pointed out.

When it comes to sport, paediatrician Wettach called for a change in thinking. Children need exercise. However, habits need to be changed: sport should be moved to the morning hours, and competitive sport should not take place between 11 am and 3 pm. Nor should the Federal Youth Games be held from May to October. “Heatstroke is far more dangerous than a lightning strike,” he put it dramatically.

We must assume that heatwaves will start earlier and last longer in the coming years. Society owes it to children to respond to this and make schools heat-resilient. However, it is also clear that heat protection plans alone are not enough. Only if all stakeholders pull together and the measures are tailored to the specific local situation will there be a good chance that children and young people can continue to learn in good health and with a cool head in the future.

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Keynote:

Prof Harald Lesch
Professor of Astrophysics at Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich

Paneldiscussion:

Dr Christof Wettach, MD
Pediatrician, Co-Chair of the Pediatrics Working Group at KLUG - Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit e.V., Head of the Climate Change and Health Working Group of the Ortenau Municipal Health Conference, Spokesperson for the Committee on Children's Health and Climate Change of the BVKJ e.V. (Federal Association of Pediatricians)

Dr Eva-Franziska Matthies-Wiesler
Senior Researcher, Helmholtz Munich 

Ines Heinz
Initiator of the working group tasked with developing heat safety plans for schools

Chiara Matthies
High school student and student representative

Dr Gerald Quitterer, MD
President of the Bavarian Medical Association and GP

Moderation:

Dr Martin Herrmann, MD
Chairperson, KLUG - Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit e.V.