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Lydia Bright's issues furious response to schools closing in the heatwave
25 June 2026, 16:27 | Updated: 26 June 2026, 12:44
The former TOWIE star "struggles" to get her head around the idea of schools closing because of the heatwave as she takes to social media to vent.
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Lydia Bright has questioned the decision to send children home early during Britain's heatwave, arguing the closures are creating fresh challenges for working families.
The former TOWIE star shared her frustration after her six-year-old daughter Loretta's school announced it would shorten the school day because of soaring temperatures.
Taking to Instagram, Lydia admitted she was struggling to understand the decision and asked followers whether she was alone in thinking the response had gone too far.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is madness?" she wrote.
Explaining what had happened, Lydia said she received very little notice before the changes were introduced.
"At 7.15pm on Monday night, I received an email to say the school would be closing at 1pm on Tuesday and now today and Thursday because of the heat," Lydia vented.
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"I'm struggling to get my head around it. Children all over the world sit in classrooms in these temperatures every day, without air conditioning."
Her comments come as schools across parts of the UK adjusted opening hours during the extreme weather, with some opting to finish lessons early as classrooms became increasingly hot.
Experts have warned that prolonged high temperatures can make school buildings unsafe, particularly as many classrooms lack air conditioning.
Children are also at greater risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke during periods of extreme heat.
Despite those warnings, Lydia questioned whether the closures were solving the problem.
"Our children happily spend entire days on holiday in this heat and when we collect them at 1pm we're taking them home to houses that are exactly the same temperature," she continued.
"Maybe I'm missing something? I'm currently overseas trying to rearrange plans for Loretta and I know I won't be the only working parent trying to move schedules and commitments.
"It feels like we're solving one problem by creating another for hundreds of working families."
Lydia shares Loretta with her former partner, garage owner Lee Cronin, and suggested many parents would now be scrambling to reorganise childcare and work commitments at short notice.
Her comments echo frustrations expressed by some parents on school WhatsApp groups, where concerns have been raised about the practical impact of unexpected early closures.
However, others have defended the decisions, pointing to warnings from health experts about the dangers posed by extreme heat inside older school buildings.
Many schools across the UK are housed in ageing properties that were never designed to cope with prolonged periods of high temperatures, leaving classrooms uncomfortably hot during heatwaves.
The debate comes as Britain experiences exceptionally hot weather, with temperatures climbing to record levels in some parts of the country.
The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning, cautioning that the heat poses a risk to life and warning people to prepare for disruption.
The weather service has also warned that transport networks and public services could be affected as the country experiences one of its most intense periods of summer heat on record.
While Lydia acknowledged she may not have all the answers, she maintained the knock-on effect on working parents deserved greater consideration.
Her Instagram post has since sparked debate online, with many parents weighing in on both sides of the discussion over whether schools should remain open during extreme weather or prioritise children's safety when temperatures become dangerously high.
