The Energy and Climate Change Division is working in partnership with Hampshire County Council (HCC) and the Department for Education (DfE) to better understand and address overheating risk in school buildings.
Led by Professor Patrick James, the project focuses on developing practical tools and insights to support schools in managing rising temperatures. The work is centred on two key outputs (i) a rapid technical assessment tool to evaluate overheating risk at the classroom level, and (ii) an analysis of overheating risk across the national school building stock, considering both current conditions and future climate projections.
As part of this research, pilot studies have explored an innovative storytelling approach designed to help schoolchildren adapt their behaviour to improve thermal comfort. These early findings, reported in James et al. (2025), suggest that engaging narratives can play an important role in raising awareness and encouraging positive action among pupils.
Building on this success, the storytelling approach is now being rolled out across Hampshire. Supporting materials—including illustrated books and an accompanying animation—have been made publicly available to maximise impact and accessibility.
Book
Hottest Day at School: second edition book
Hottest Day at School: first edition book
Video
Further details about the project can be found on the project webpage.