LYDIA Bright has doubled down on her fury about her daughter’s school closing at the last minute due to England’s major heatwave.
Four days ago the former TOWIE star blasted schools for closing early due to the weather, branding it as “madness”.
Now the star has emphasised her stance even further, questioning if climate change is going to make summers a problem for schools in the future.
In a lengthy Instagram statement, Lydia wrote: “My Response. 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.
“Working overseas, I haven’t had the chance to respond, so I’ve taken a bit of time to gather my thoughts.
“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.
“Then there was my long-term foster sister, who couldn’t get to work at her care home because my niece Luna’s nursery was also closed. She’s just one example of the thousands of parents working in care homes, hospitals and other frontline services who couldn’t work. The knock-on effect is huge.”
Lydia continued to explain how important school is, especially for hcildren who rely on its safe environment.
She said: “Lastly, during the pandemic, I became passionate about raising awareness of children in care and the vital role schools play as places of safety, stability and routine. For some children, school is so much more than education. It’s where they receive support, safeguarding, hot meals, consistency.
“I’m not suggesting that one week of school closures would suddenly lead to large numbers of children entering care. But if climate change means periods of extreme heat become more common, could one week become two?
“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.
“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.”
The statement is a continuation of Lydia’s last one, which also references the 7:15pm emails.
It noted: “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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
Lydia was a member of the TOWIE cast from 2010 to 2017.
