Kebede told the Guardian that this summer's repeated bouts of extreme heat had a devastating impact on teachers and pupils. Classroom temperatures topped 40C. At least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons when schools closed during the June heatwave.
He wants the government to roll out a mass retrofitting programme before next summer's El Niño-charged temperatures arrive, saying schools were built "for a different climate." He also called for a national conversation about other ways to adapt.
"There needs to be a really serious discussion about how we make sure there is the continuity of education in this changed climate," he said. He noted that hot countries tend to have a longer summer holiday, and he floated an earlier start and finish to the school day. "Perhaps we don't want exams to be happening in the hottest part of the year," he added.
Teachers inundated him with messages during the heatwaves, urging the union to help. They were in distress because they felt real risk and danger to themselves and their pupils. "The last time I felt that level of panic in the profession was during the Covid pandemic," Kebede said.
One summer heatwave cost pupils more than 15m hours of lesson time.