Pesticide-Free Schools

Why should schools be pesticide-free?

Pesticides are designed to kill, or otherwise harm, living organisms such as plants and insects However, they do not just harm the organisms that they are designed to control Many pesticides can have serious short and long-term impacts on human health and one of the groups that are most susceptible are children, from infants right up to teenagers

There are a range of reasons why children are more vulnerable than adults to the health impacts of pesticides:

6 Due to their behaviour, young children in particular tend to have higher exposure rates than adults For example, playing in areas treated with pesticides, or putting contaminated objects in their mouth increases their exposure Children are more likely to sit, lie and play on the ground and can readily come into contact with freshly applied pesticides or dust contaminated with pesticides

6 Children absorb pesticides more easily through their skin Not only is a child’s skin more permeable than an adult’s, but their skin surface area relative to body weight is also higher This makes it easier to absorb higher rates of pesticides

6 Children take in more air (and water and food) relative to their body weight compared to adults This increases their total exposure For example, the breathing rate of a child in its first twelve years is roughly double that of an adult As a result, the amount of airborne contaminants reaching the surface of the lung can be much higher

6 A child’s ability to cope with pesticide poisoning will differ from that of an adult The systems that our bodies use to deal with toxins are less well developed in children and this can make them less able to cope with these substances than adults

6 As they grow, children’s brains and bodies undergo complex changes that affect tissue growth and organ development Incidents of exposure that would be tolerated by adults, can cause irreversible damage to unborn babies, infants and adolescents

Which pesticides are used in schools and why?

The most commonly-used type of pesticide in schools are herbicides (weedkillers) They are applied (usually sprayed) on school grounds to control plant growth on hard surfaces such as paths and playgrounds, in garden areas and vegetable plots and on sports pitches and other fields. Herbicides can also be used by schools on rubbery surfaces in playgrounds and sports courts In this case, they are often used in combination with other pesticides designed to control fungus and moss In addition, schools sometimes use herbicides to control invasive species such as Japanese knotweed

Most of the pesticides used in schools will be glyphosate-based products, such as Roundup Glyphosate has been classified as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by the World Health Organization There has been a spate of high-profile legal cases in the USA and elsewhere linking Roundup – which contains glyphosate as its key ingredient – to the potential risk of contracting Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer) Long-term exposure to glyphosate has also been found to cause conditions such as kidney and liver disease, act as an endocrine and immune system disrupter, and result in neurological problems Glyphosate is also an environmental contaminant, polluting water – including drinking water – and causing harm to bees and other insects both directly and by removing plants which provide much-needed habitat and food sources majority of other herbicides used for grounds maintenance –such as 2,4-D and MCPA – also have links to serious human health and environmental problems

What are the key benefits of making a school pesticide-free?

6 Reduce the exposure of children, parents and staff (most notably grounds maintenance staff but also teachers) to harmful chemicals

6 Allow nature to thrive and enable children to take pleasure from, and learn about, wild plants and the bees, pollinators, birds and other wildlife that rely upon them

6 Positive messaging for children and also parents that don’t want their children exposed to chemicals at school

6 Aligns with and contributes towards schools’ efforts on environmental issues, including reducing contamination of water and soil and boosting biodiversity

6 School grounds often make up a significant proportion of a town or city’s green spaces They tend to be distributed fairly evenly and so have the potential to make an important contribution to urban nature recovery networks

6 Potential financial savings for schools that no longer have to spend money on chemicals or compulsory training for staff applying pesticides

6 In contrast to pesticide application, most systems of non-chemical control can be used in any weather providing grounds maintenance staff with more flexibility.

Is it possible to end pesticide use in schools?

Yes! There is a growing movement in the UK and Europe pushing for councils and other land managers to move away from using herbicides to manage parks and green spaces as well as roads, pathways and other hard surfaces Thanks to this public pressure, more than one hundred UK local authorities are now entirely pesticide-free or well on their way For many years, all of the towns and cities in France, Belgium and Luxembourg have been managed without the use of pesticides, including thousands of schools

There are many viable alternatives that can be adopted to replace the use of potentially harmful pesticides while still maintaining areas to a high standard When a safer alternative is available then it should be the default option, particularly in areas that are frequented by particularly vulnerable groups such as children

Whole towns, cities and even countries have succeeded in making their often-complex patchwork of urban spaces pesticide-free In comparison, school grounds are extremely simple There really is no good reason why schools shouldn’t follow suit In fact, many schools in the UK already have! For example, Daubeney Primary School in Hackney, London, went pesticide-free in 2022 and has been flourishing ever since.

HOW CAN SCHOOLS GO PESTICIDE-FREE? A practical policy for phasing out pesticides

This document sets out a pathway for how schools can eliminate the use of pesticides and adopt more sustainable, healthy and nature-friendly ways of managing their spaces

Scope of the policy

This policy is aimed at eliminating the use of pesticides (including herbicides and insecticides) on school grounds It does not cover the use of rodenticides or biocidal products used to control pests that pose a risk to human health, such as rats and cockroaches

The use of herbicides to control invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed, also falls outside the scope of this policy However, it should be noted that, if herbicides are going to be used for this purpose, then they should be injected into the stem of the plant rather than sprayed in order to prevent runoff and drift

Who is this policy aimed at?

This policy is intended primarily for headteachers, governors, groundskeepers and maintenance staff employed directly by the school or by external contractors It may also apply to those that run school gardening clubs or eco-groups

Going pesticide-free in your school

Schools are relatively small and compact areas in terms of management requirements Due to high footfall on paths and walkways, weeds are not usually a huge problem during term time but may increase during holiday periods Other areas that might need consideration when going pesticide-free include gardens, sports pitches and playing fields.

Different approaches will be required for different areas:

6 Hard surfaces – including paths, walkways, playgrounds and car parks.

The best way to deal with weeds is to remove the habitat in which they develop so they cannot establish in the first place. This is best achieved by ensuring that paths and walkways (especially the back line, corners and gutters) are regularly swept to avoid the build-up of detritus where weeds can seed This should be a normal part of a school’s maintenance programme

For any weeds that do appear, simply hand weeding as and when needed should be sufficient to keep growth down to an acceptable level

It is important to identify which plants are growing since some may bring considerable biodiversity benefits without posing any risk to accessibility or infrastructure Alongside rare plants, those that are short-lived or that provide forage for bees, butterflies and other wildlife should be left in place PAN UK has developed a handy, free guide to pavement plants which can help with plant identification. Getting the children involved is a great way to acquaint them with the value of plants and involve them in going pesticide-free Our guide is available here: www.pan-uk.org/pavement-plants/

Car parks might require a higher degree of attention depending on how busy they are However, the same principles apply – keep the area free of detritus with regular brushing and remove any unacceptable weed growth by hand

There may be an upsurge in weed growth during holiday periods when areas are not being used and footfall is reduced It is important that during the holidays, particularly the long summer break, schools take measures to ensure that weeds do not get out of hand This should include sweeping areas where detritus might accumulate and hand weeding any areas that become problematic Dealing with weed growth during holiday times will minimise any potential disruption for children during term time

HOW CAN SCHOOLS GO PESTICIDE-FREE? A

6 Rubber (wet pour) surfaces

Some schools have areas made of wet pour – a surface consisting of rubber granules that is most commonly used in play areas and sports courts to protect children from falls These areas are often maintained using a cocktail of pesticides designed to prevent the emergence of plants (herbicides), fungus (fungicides) and moss (mossicides) This mixing of different chemicals raises particular concerns for both human health and the environment There is a growing body of evidence that pesticides can become more harmful when combined, and yet safety assessments continue to be conducted for just one chemical at a time Schools should stop treating these areas with chemical pesticides Weeds can be controlled as outlined above while alternatives, such as brushing and high-pressure water, have been shown to be highly effective in clearing away possible moss or fungal accumulation

6 Garden areas

Many schools will have gardens and possibly vegetable plots for the children to grow food There will also likely be grassed areas for recreation and possibly flower beds. The school should ensure that no herbicides or insecticides are used in gardens or vegetable plots that are used by children Alternative methods to control weeds and pests should be adopted such as mulching or cover planting to control weeds and the use of companion planting to attract natural predators to deter and control insect pests Getting the children to hand weed is also a great option

6 Sports pitches

Sports pitches often need specialist care depending on the level of use It is important to determine how well managed a particular pitch needs to be in order to accommodate the level of sports played at the school For the most part, regular mowing will contain the majority of weeds and problematic growth Regular over seeding with grass seeds can help to keep moss under control One area that can be addressed immediately is the use of line marker paint that contains herbicides This is unnecessary and can be stopped with no adverse impact on the quality of the pitch or line markings

6 School fields

Most schools will also have fields that are not used for sport and therefore do not need to be maintained in the same way As with other grassy areas, regular mowing should remove the need to use any herbicides However, it is not necessary to mow the entire area As part of their efforts to boost biodiversity, many schools are now leaving strips around the edges of fields to grow, planting wildflowers and other pollinator-friendly plants designed to support local wildlife

Children growing food at school © Rawpixel on Shutterstock

Non-chemical alternatives for use in schools

There are plenty of non-chemical alternatives to pesticides They range from mechanical methods (such as hand weeding, hoeing, mowing, strimming and mulching) to high-tech options (such as hot foam, brushes and flame weeding). For more information on alternatives visit: www.pan-uk.org/site/wp-content/uploads/ Alternatives-to-herbicides-a-guide-for-theamenity-sector.pdf

While it is brilliant that high-tech alternatives exist, the majority of schools are too small to need to resort to new technologies to replace pesticides Mechanical methods should be sufficient for keeping weeds at bay and schools, in theory at least, have an ever-willing army of volunteers to do hand weeding!

In fact, going pesticide-free is an amazing opportunity to make schools havens for wildlife and help children connect with nature Given that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, we urgently need to move away from our ‘neat and tidy’ mindset and help children to know and love nature from an early age Making schools into greener spaces, while still safeguarding accessibility and maintaining infrastructure, is a win-win

Communicating with the grounds maintenance team

While some schools maintain their own grounds, others (particularly those with larger areas) will hire external contractors Regardless of who manages the school’s grounds, its crucial that they are fully aware of the school’s wishes that pesticides are no longer used

Try to have a conversation with those responsible for grounds maintenance as early as possible in the process of going pesticide-free Most importantly, make sure to confirm the school’s new approach in writing Ideally this should be done by inserting a stipulation that pesticides will not be used into the ground’s maintenance contract and any other related documents

Timeline for going pesticide-free

PAN UK encourages schools to phase out pesticides over a period of six months or, at the very longest, over one academic year Here is a suggested ideal timeline:

MONTH 1

Assess where pesticides are being used on school grounds and for what purpose

Develop a plan for phasing out pesticide use that includes a timeline detailing the steps that will be taken, alternative practices to be adopted and opportunities for involving students in the process Don’t forget to include school holidays in the plan

MONTH 2

End pesticide use in gardens and vegetable plots

MONTH 3

End pesticide use on school fields and sport pitches

MONTH 4

Start tackling hard surfaces by ending pesticide use on playgrounds

MONTH 5

Continue efforts on hard surfaces by ending pesticide use on paths and walkways

MONTH 6

Finish the job by ending pesticide use in school car parks

Declare your school to be pesticide-free!

As with any strategy, it’s important to build in a review to assess how well its gone and whether any changes need to be made Make sure to identify key wins and any obstacles so that next year’s plan can be adapted accordingly

Key PAN UK resources

PAN UK is constantly updating and adding to its guidance on how to go pesticide-free Unless a different link is given below, these free resources are all available on our website at: www.pan-uk.org/information-for-local-authorities/

6 Alternatives to Herbicides: A Guide for the Amenity Sector

6 Pavement Plant Guide

6 Cost saving approaches to going pesticide-free

6 Glyphosate Monograph and Myth Buster

6 Herbicides: A threat to bee and pollinator survival: www.pan-uk.org/herbicides-and-pollinators/

6 Pesticide-Free Challenge for Kids: www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free-challenge-for-kids /

6 Pesticide-Free Zone poster: www.pan-uk.org/make-my-town-pesticide-free/

About Pesticide Action Network UK

We are the only UK charity focused on tackling the problems caused by pesticides and promoting safe and sustainable alternatives in agriculture, urban areas, homes and gardens

We work tirelessly to apply pressure to governments, regulators, policy makers, industry and retailers to reduce the impacts of harmful pesticides to both human health and the environment

Find out more about our work at: www.pan-uk.org

PAN UK

The Brighthelm Centre North Road Brighton BN1 1YD Telephone: 01273 964230

For advice or more information, please contact pesticide-free@pan-uk.org