10 minute read
Air Quality
by PSI Media
Simple actions to cut air pollution
Research has found that simple air quality measures – such as air purifiers, no car zones and green screens – can cut outdoor and indoor exposure of toxins in and around schools by almost half
Children spend a significant amount of their time during the weekday at school. For 10 million students in the UK, this time at school accounts for about 30 per cent of their life, with about 70 per cent of that time being spent indoors learning and carrying out various activities.
In the UK, about 2,000 primary schools are located in areas where air pollution levels breach World Health Organisation air quality limits (WHO, 2021). Primary school children are amongst the most at risk, since, at that young age, their lungs are still developing, and polluted air can inhibit their growth. Air pollution can also exacerbate asthma, bronchitis, other respiratory diseases and behavioural problems, as well as adversely affect brain health, cognitive function and academic performance.
In addition to air pollution, the quality of the indoor environment, with respect to other parameters such as, fresh air ventilation, thermal comfort and relative humidity, also plays an important role in young children’s health and wellbeing and hence can affect school attendance, productivity, learning performance.
To assess what measures schools can put in place to improve air quality, Arup, Global Action Plan, and the University of Surrey conducted a project, which was supported by Impact on Urban Health. The research was published in the journal Atmospheric Environment. Simple measures for a big impact The research found that simple air quality measures can cut outdoor and indoor exposure of toxins in and around schools by almost half.
Working with a select number of London schools in Lambeth, researchers investigated whether putting up a green screen along the perimeter fence of a school, installing air purifiers in classrooms, and organising School Street initiatives during pick-up and drop-off hours, improved air quality of classrooms and playgrounds.
The researchers found that air purifiers in classrooms reduced indoor pollution concentrations by up to 57 per cent.
The School Streets initiative, which stops people driving past schools at the start and end of school days, reduced particle concentrations by up to 36 per cent. Green screens at the school boundary reduced outdoor particle levels coming from roads by up to 44 per cent, depending on wind conditions. Breaching air quality limits Currently, all London schools are in breach of the World Health Organization’s air quality limits, leaving children vulnerable to respiratory diseases, poor lung and brain health, behavioural problems, and increased risk of cancer.
Prashant Kumar, founding director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey, said: “Everybody, especially our children, deserves to live and work where the air is as clean and safe as possible. Unfortunately, the reality is far from ideal, with many of our schools unwittingly exposing children to harmful pollutants. The problem is particularly bad at schools near busy roads.
“Our research offers hope to
many who care about this issue, as the results show that taking reasonable action can make a positive difference.” Kate Langford, programme director of the Health Effects of Air pollution programme at Impact on Urban Health, funders of the research, said: “Every child has the right to learn in an environment that keeps them safe and healthy. But, every day, children are exposed to dangerously high levels In the UK, about 2,000 primary schools are located in areas where air pollution levels breach WHO air quality limits of air pollution in and around schools. “Our partnership with Arup, Global Action Plan and the University of Surrey has shown there are practical ways that we can protect children in and around schools and can help guide schools to implement these solutions. “These measures now need to be combined with efforts from local authorities at E
Advertisement Feature Why students, schools & parents love keyless locker management systems
We are accustomed to school lockers, which have been used in schools for many years. There were times when school lockers were used only during physical education classes. Gradually, the administration realised the benefits of lockers, and students were allowed to use them more often. Then came threats such as drugs being stored in lockers, and the school administration became more cautious. However, these incidents can be checked with strict regulations and inspections. Overall, school lockers are believed to benefit students and the entire institution. Here are three significant reasons why every school should have keyless lockers for students:
As schools develop their infrastructure to benefit students, an important thing to consider is where you should keep your lockers. School lockers have been a mainstay in the UK’s education system for decades, and with good reason. The management of keys has been the biggest headache, but lost keys are now a thing of the past through the Locker Space Keyless Locker Management Service.
This guide lists the top three reasons why high-quality Keyless lockers are essential for schools and pupils.
Secure place to secure belongings
This may be why lockers are essential in schools, and rightly so. School lockers are designed to be durable and safe so that pupils can be safe knowing that their schoolwork or personal belongings are secure.
With an increasing number of pupils carrying mobile phones, tablets or even laptops, lockers for schools have become more critical than ever. With schools trying to keep theft and damage to a minimum, lockers are a great way to prevent this. Plus, it’ll give parents/ guardians peace of mind. No keys, no hassle
Promote creativity
Children and students are constantly being urged to be creative in school, and having lockers is a great way to promote this. With students juggling school rules and uniforms, having their own space to inject a little personality can be a source of great creativity.
Teachers must monitor designs to ensure they are appropriate for school use. Still, lockers are a great asset if you’re looking to boost grades in creative subjects such as art, design technology or media studies.
Health and safety
With the number of heavy textbooks, PE clothes, laptops, school planners and other dense school equipment being required among students, the need for storage is increasing. Carrying heavy loads in a backpack can cause neck and back problems, leading to poor posture.
Schools can help combat this issue by providing students with lockers to keep their heavy equipment safe and secure.
If you’re looking for high-quality keyless school lockers that can provide all the reasons above and more, Locker Space supplies and installs bespoke lockers for free. We can also adopt and adapt your existing lockers. L
FURTHER INFORMATION
lockerspace.co.uk
Have you ordered your free Keyless lockers?
• We measure, provide & install lockers to Schools, Colleges and
Universities for FREE!
• Got existing lockers? We can modify & integrate them into our
keyless management system, completely free
• We maintain the lockers and manage online bookings • Same or next day remote and onsite support attendance • Parents/students rent lockers from us for a small annual fee,
using our secure online booking system
• Parents /studentsreceive their child’s locker code by email &
text, for an easy & simple service
• We cover the whole of the UK
• Absolutely no cost to the school whatsoever
Go keyless, go Locker Space, with free lockers for schools
Visit www.lockerspace.co.uk, email enquiries@lockerspace.co.uk or give us a call on 0800 043 0015 to find out more
regional and national levels to improve air quality and create healthier places for children to live, learn and play.”
Professor Prashant Kumar added: “My simple plea to decision-makers in the UK is this: simple actions speak louder than words. By giving every school resources to implement one of the measures detailed in our research, they could make a world of difference to tens of thousands of children in this country.”
London help desk Schools across London can access support to improve air quality by contacting the Mayor of London’s London Schools Pollution Helpdesk.
Supported by the Mayor of London and Impact on Urban Health, the London Schools Pollution Helpdesk supports schools across the capital to access easy-to-implement interventions to reduce air pollution. Recommendations for cutting pollution include the above interventions: air purifiers, School Streets and green screens as well as free education resources, bespoke action plans, and campaign guidance.
Schools can contact the helpdesk by phone, email, online forms or text for advice and the website is a source for air pollution information signposting to the best resources and case studies for schools.
Shirley Rodrigues, London deputy mayor for Environment and Energy, said: “The Mayor is doing everything in his power to stop Londoners breathing toxic air. Since 2016, there has been a 96 per cent reduction in the number of schools in areas
Mayor of London reveals success of School Streets initiative in London
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has revealed the success of the School Streets initiative in London at improving air quality, but says that more needs to be done, with 97 per cent of schools and colleges in outer London still exceeding revised air quality targets set by the World Health Organization.
Sadiq Khan revealed that more than 260,000 children are breathing cleaner air as a result of the capital’s growing network of School Streets.
Following the agreement of a funding deal for TfL to secure the transport network’s future, £69m per year will now go to boroughs to help them deliver even more School Streets. In the past five years, 373 school streets have been funded by City Hall and TfL, with the rest funded by the London boroughs.
School Streets restrict car access to streets outside a school at drop off and pick up times, making it safer, cleaner and easier for children to get to school on foot, by bike or by scooter. First introduced in Camden in 2017, there are now 547 across nearly every London borough with a quarter of primary schools now located on School Streets.
Despite the Mayor’s interventions meaning progress has been made, 97 per cent of schools and colleges in outer London still exceed revised air quality targets set by the World Health Organization. In around 75 per cent of these areas in outer London, air pollution remains so high that it exceeds even lower air quality targets set in 2005. As such, the Mayor is also calling on the Government to set much more ambitious air quality targets under the Environment Act.
which exceed the legal pollution limit for nitrogen dioxide, and he is committed to bringing that number down to zero.
“This research further reinforces the evidence that it is possible to improve the air quality of schools. We are pleased that the Mayor’s London Schools Pollution Helpdesk can offer free advice and support to school communities seeking to take action on air pollution.”
Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air at Global Action Plan, said: “Schools should be safe places of learning, not places where students are at risk of health hazards. There is no safe level of air pollution, but children are particularly vulnerable to its impacts including the development of organs and their ability to learn. Services like the London Schools Pollution Helpdesk ensure that schools have access to advice on what they can do to reduce exposure to air pollution, including the actions tested in this research. But this needs to be rolled out nationally - all children must be protected from the health effects of air pollution in their everyday lives.”L
FURTHER INFORMATION
www.globalactionplan.org.uk
