France has taken the rare step of postponing end-of-secondary-school exams after this week’s heatwave - forecast to be the hottest on record for a month of June, reports The Telegraph.
With temperatures due to climb to 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) and humidity levels making the heat feel closer to 47C, Le Brevet, a national diploma taken by 14-year-olds, will take place next week instead of this Thursday and Friday.
Jean-Michel Blanquer, the education minister, said the decision was taken to "guarantee the security of the pupils”. The timetable of the exams would otherwise remain unchanged, he added.
More than half of France has been placed under “orange alert” by Météo France, the national weather forecaster.
The temperatures are forecast to be the highest for a month of June since detailed records began in 1947, and in some areas the highest for any month of the year.