In a scathing opinion piece, broadcaster Nick Ferrari has condemned the decision to close hundreds of schools during the current heatwave, arguing that it represents a betrayal of Britain's youth and a failure to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic. Ferrari contrasts the response to the 1976 heatwave, when schools remained open and students simply loosened their ties, with today's 'self-imposed crippling paralysis of fear' that has led to widespread closures.
Lessons from the past ignored
Ferrari recalls his own sixth-form studies during the summer of 1976, when exams proceeded with minimal disruption despite 15 consecutive days of extreme heat. 'We all carried on,' he writes, noting that the only concession was allowing students to loosen their neckties. Today, however, the nation is gripped by panic, with train services cut, work-from-home orders reinstated, and hundreds of schools shut or operating restricted hours.
Mental health impact of school closures
The journalist highlights the documented harm from Covid-era school closures, citing a more than 50% increase in young people seeking help for mental or emotional health issues in some age groups. 'Has nothing been learnt from the disastrous policy regarding the closing of schools during the Covid pandemic?' he asks. Ferrari warns that repeating these closures risks further compromising children's emotional health and education, especially as many homes are equally hot and filled with distractions.
The crisis of severely absent pupils
Ferrari points to the phenomenon of Emotionally-Based School Avoidance (EBSA), which has seen over 175,000 pupils marked as 'severely absent' in the last school year. He questions how sudden closures will help reintegrate these vulnerable students, noting that the decision often forces parents to scramble for childcare, disrupting workplaces. He cites an example of an NHS physiotherapy unit in the Midlands that had to close after staff were called away to collect children from schools that announced early closures that morning.
A call for resilience and preparation
While acknowledging that no one should work in dangerous conditions, Ferrari argues that schools must teach resilience and problem-solving. He proposes practical solutions: installing industrial air conditioning units, reworking the school day to start earlier, and long-term investments to make schools ready for extreme weather that 'looks like being the new norm.' Anything less, he concludes, is a betrayal of the nation's youth.
Additional political commentary
In the same column, Ferrari offers brief remarks on other political matters. He criticises the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister, describing a 'stomach-churning picture' of the Labour figure. He also addresses a £5 million gift to Nigel Farage, noting Farage's quip about buying a fleet of Ferraris, and comments on the grooming gang scandals inquiry, suggesting it contradicts London Mayor Sadiq Khan's previous denial of gangs in the city. Ferrari calls for legislation to end disruptive behaviour in Parliament and questions the Attorney General's commitment to the Chagos islands giveaway.
