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As unions call for improved classroom ventilation, and government backed trials of air purification systems are set to begin in West Yorkshire Schools, action is being demanded in order to improve the safety of education across the UK.
Closed windows and stuffy classrooms lie ahead for students across the country as outdoor temperatures drop. However, safeguarding the learning environment from indoor air pollution, deemed particularly dangerous for young children by the World Health Organisation¹, could finally cut absences and provide a sense of normality in routine for pupils, parents and teachers alike.
Better indoor air quality has been shown to improve concentration as well as positively impact the learning environment for pupils with asthma and hay fever. A trial of the use of air purifiers in primary schools in London in 2018/2019 found it improved pupils’ results and resulted in fewer absences due to ill health. ²Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said: “I am doing everything in my power to stop Londoners breathing air so filthy that it damages children’s lungs and causes thousands of premature deaths every year.”
In other previous studies, purifiers were installed at Christopher Hatton Primary School in Holborn, Gospel Oak Primary & Nursery School and Netley Primary School and Centre for Autism in Euston. A survey of teaching staff after a year of use revealed 89% felt it had improved children’s learning and 51% said they had noticed a drop in absences for sickness.²
Last month, an extensive list of education unions, including NEU, NAHT, ASCL, GMB, Unison, Unite and NASUWT, have written to education minister Gavin Williamson calling for “firm action” to be taken in order to improve ventilation in schools.
Jim Kennedy, Unite’s National Officer for Education, said: “Public health experts have identified that proper ventilation is a key prerequisite as we enter the next stage in containing coronavirus.”
With past research detailing the extensive benefits of air purification and today’s health officials now commenting on the importance of clean air and ventilation in the next stage of the return to normality, it’s a responsible choice for UK schools to be making in order to protect their community. Especially as windows are more likely to be closed at this time of year.
With a portable and powerful system like the Puritii Air 2.0, that captures 99.99% of airborne impurities including viruses, stuffy winter classrooms can be transformed into fresh, clean spaces which support learning in a healthy way. Real-time monitoring intelligently takes care of air quality in classrooms and large spaces, taking out the guesswork for staff, giving an instantaneous, effective and economical clean air solution.
For Puritii Air orders and full product specifications contact pippa@pure-airfiltration.com or view the full Puritii profile at theeducationalhub.co.uk.
1. World Health Organisation, 2018 https://www.who.int/news/item/29-10-2018-more-than-90-of-the-worlds-children-breathe-toxic-air-every-day
2. inews, 2021 https://inews.co.uk/news/air-purifiers-uk-schools-covid-1146965
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