14 July 2026

Press Release

For immediate release

Bring nature back into school playgrounds to help cool schools, says WWF

Bare grounds and artificial surfaces acting like a ‘ring of fire’ around schools, says nature charity
Artificial surfaces absorb more heat than natural surfaces like grass, soil and sand
A recent poll found that 63% of primary school teachers said they had kept children indoors during break or lunch due to extreme heat

The nature charity WWF has called for more trees and natural surfaces to be brought into school playgrounds to help regulate soaring temperatures during heatwaves.

Schools are usually surrounded by open spaces, and over recent years these have increasingly been converted into artificial surfaces such as asphalt, astroturf and rubber crumb. These surfaces absorb much more heat than natural ones like grass, soil or sand, which in turn heats the air around the school.

In the record-breaking June heatwave, extreme heat forced hundreds of schools to close and many more to keep children indoors - 63% of primary school teachers, who responded to a recent poll, said they’d been forced to keep children indoors over break or lunch, while 97% said they had made changes to the way they use their outdoor space. Some reported classroom temperatures which exceeded 40 degrees.

With July seeing the third heatwave in as many months of term time, and climate scientists warning that the trend is likely to continue with global warming, schools need to adapt to the UK's changing climate to allow children to continue to play outside and attend school during hot weather.

Artificial surfaces and lack of shade are baking the open areas around schools and exacerbating the already high temperatures for pupils and staff. WWF says that planting more trees in playgrounds would provide schools with respite from rising temperatures, by reducing surface temperatures and providing shade.

Department for Education guidelines on the risk of overheating in schools suggest that dark coloured materials and synthetic surfaces should not be within 10 metres of school buildings, and that schools should prioritise trees and planting near buildings.

Rosalind Mist, engagement programmes director at WWF-UK, said:

“With temperature records being broken in term time and children being kept indoors or sent home during heatwaves, urgent action is needed to help cool school buildings and playgrounds. Bare school grounds mostly made up of artificial surfaces like asphalt, astroturf and rubber crumb are soaking up the heat and surrounding schools in a ring of fire and making conditions even more intolerable for children and teachers. Adding more natural surfaces, plants and trees will help cool playgrounds, with the added benefits that nature brings to pupils all year round, including boosting their mental wellbeing.”

WWF is running a programme called Happy By Nature which aims to turn playgrounds from grey to green. This year, as part of a pilot scheme, the nature charity is funding 20 nature-depleted schools to work with Learning Through Landscapes to transform their grounds through a consultative process that includes staff and pupils. The schools, in different areas across the country, from Islington to Glasgow, will see playgrounds enhanced with natural surfaces and planting that children can enjoy all year round. As well as benefiting pupils' mental wellbeing and learning, this will help naturally cool school grounds during heatwaves, and absorb excess water in winter to prevent flooding.