Staff and students in schools across Northern Ireland have been told to “wear more clothes” if it is cold in a bid to cut heating bills, the BBC reports.
The Education Authority (EA), who has sent out the message, said that increasing costs will affect school energy bills and the establishments should reduce heating and lighting “wherever possible”.
The concern comes as the EA predicts energy bills to rise by a collective £8 million by March 2027.
Rising energy costs are already affecting households across Northern Ireland, an increase which is mainly fuelled by the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.
The letter from the EA to head teachers said: “recent geopolitical events are expected to have a substantial impact on energy costs… during the 2026/27 financial year”.
However, principles have hit back at the advice, saying sometimes the measures advised aren’t possible.
Claire Robinson, principal of Holy Evangelists Primary School in Dunmurry, said: “We can’t play around with the heating. Our classrooms can’t drop below a certain temperature so we have to keep the heating on. We can’t just turn the heating off in some areas of the school.”
The letter also suggested that schools should turn off classroom lights and use natural daylight instead.
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