Schoolchildren are “freezing” in classrooms because windows and doors are being kept open to meet Covid-19 ventilation standards, teachers have said.
Public health guidance for reopening schools contains recommendations about ventilation including that, wherever possible, doors and windows should be opened.
The Department of Education says classrooms should be maintained at an even temperature of 18°C, and under health and safety laws workplaces are required to maintain a minimum temperature of 16°C. However, teachers have reported that students are struggling to adapt to indoor temperatures as low as 12°C to 14°C as schools seek to maintain ventilation standards.
One secondary school teacher posted a photograph of himself this week wearing a jacket, beanie and scarf inside. Jennifer Barron, a primary school principal in Co Kilkenny,
