TOWIE star and mum-of-one, Lydia Bright, was criticised after claiming schools should stay open during the heatwave and now she’s responded to the backlash
Lydia Bright has broken her silence after causing huge division with her comments about schools closing due to the ongoing heatwave. The TOWIE star and-mum-of-one, 35, criticised the headteacher’s decision to close her daughter’s school last week when the country was dealing with record-breaking temperatures.
More than 1,000 schools across the UK shut their doors or reduced opening hours as the mercury hit 40 degrees. However, Lydia said the decision to close her six-year-old daughter Loretta’s school “at short notice” was “madness” and caused a huge headache for working parents – despite experts warning that some of the nation’s classrooms may become unsafe due to the extreme temperatures. Some schools argued that pupils would be at an increased risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Lydia has now hit back at her critics and said ‘long term solutions need to be made – not just last minute emails’ – if school closures become a regular occurrence due to climate change.
Taking to Instagram, she said: “I just wanted to address this further because this week I was invited onto radio shows to discuss my views, they’ve been printed in the media and even debated on TV panel shows.”
Revealing the impact the school closures had on her family, she continued: “My frustration came from the very real impact these last minute school closures had on my immediate family.
“As a single working mum, my life has to be organised down to the minute. When plans change overnight, it creates enormous pressure. Thankfully, I made it work, but only because I was able to rely on my parents, Loretta’s dad and even my cousin, who all had to rearrange their schedules to step in and help.”
Noting that periods of extreme heat could become more common, she added: “Could school closures become a regular occurrence? And if they do, what will that mean for the children who rely on school the most?
“We are all entitled to our own beliefs and have our circumstances and journeys for having them. I believe we need to protect children’s education, support working families, keep essential services running and ensure our most vulnerable children have school consistently.”
Stating that “long term solutions” were needed rather than “last minute emails”, she signed off: “If this is something we’re likely to face more often in the future, we need long-term solutions, not last-minute emails at 7.15pm.”
Other parents on social media, branded teachers as ‘lazy’, claiming they are simply looking for a day off and pointing out that employees in other industries are still expected to work.
Meanwhile, one LBC caller warned that Britain is ‘breeding a nation of melts’ who will be ‘ill-prepared for real life in this hard world‘.
However, responding to Lydia’s original post, one of her followers wrote: “I don’t think it’s quite as straightforward as this. School isn’t the same as children sitting at home during the holidays.”
Meanwhile, another said: “They’re expected to concentrate, learn, cope with noise, demands and busy classrooms for six hours. Many adults are struggling to think clearly and function in this heat, so it’s not surprising that some children struggle too.”
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