00:00When we're constantly hearing about climate change and extreme weather forecasts, watching
00:04the news can feel quite dystopian. During the current heat wave, a number of schools
00:09in Kent have had to close. But one school in Maidstone has found a historic way of dealing
00:14with the futuristic problem.
00:16So we all know that it's been very, very warm this week. Everybody's wearing dresses
00:19and shorts. But the girls in this school have been able to wear their PE kits. But possibly
00:24the most exciting part of their week is the fact that they've been able to have lessons
00:28in World War II tunnels in order to cool down.
00:31What's it been like this week going to school when it's so warm?
00:34Like it feels like you're going to melt. It feels way colder like down here.
00:41I know a few people from other schools that are like hot as well from like being at school
00:46because they don't have air conditioning and then they're like all having to bring in their
00:50fans and it's like just hot.
00:53And how much colour when you walk down the stairs, how much colour do you think it is
00:56in here that it is in school?
00:57Cooler. Just really cold down here compared to up there.
01:01I think it's really cool because they did like similar things down here. They also had
01:05all their lessons down here. And it's also really nice to get away from the heat outside.
01:10It's easy to wonder why schools are closing. But stepping inside, you realise just how warm
01:16it can get and how expensive air conditioning would be to cool an entire building, making the
01:21tunnels a vital asset here.
01:23This week, we've used it for what we never thought we were going to use. They are so cool.
01:29And it's just been a fantastic place for our students to go down and have lessons when it's so hot.
01:34We don't have generally air conditioned rooms.
01:36And so we've had maths lessons. We've had languages lessons. We've had food technology lessons.
01:40We've had RS lessons. We've had a whole range of English lessons. It's been a real experience for the young
01:45people to cope with the heat,
01:47but also to learn about history in situ and also to develop their resilience, dealing with different contexts. It's been
01:55a positive from a very hot week.
01:57Not only do the students get a chance to cool down, but the teachers as well. And today, they took
02:03the
02:03opportunity to learn more about what it was like in the past.
02:06It's a massive relief. It's been lovely. I've never been down in the tunnels before, so it was a bit
02:10of a treat for me.
02:11I feel it's a real quirky part of working at MGGS that we have that. So it's been a real
02:15privilege to be able to teach down there and enjoy the cold air.
02:19So we were learning about rations in World War Two. The students were given a kind of list of the
02:25food they'd have for a week.
02:27They were then creating their own recipes. They had to be a bit creative and learn how to stretch those
02:32rations out to last them for an entire week.
02:35With heat waves expected to become more common, these tunnels are no longer just part of the school's history.
02:40As they could become part of how it keeps pupils learning in the future.
02:45Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV in Maidstone.
Comments