By Deirdre Tynan • Published: 23 Aug 2021 • 12:36 • <1 minute read
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
Education settings will be provided with carbon dioxide monitors from September, backed by £25 million in government funding.
Carbon dioxide monitors will be provided to all state-funded education settings from September, so staff can quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved.
Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and is important in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
Backed by a £25 million government investment, the new monitors will enable staff to act quickly where ventilation is poor and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working.
The majority of the 300,000 monitors will become available over the autumn term, with special schools and alternative provision prioritised to receive their full allocation from September given their higher-than-average numbers of vulnerable pupils.
The government has also launched a trial of air purifiers in 30 schools in Bradford, which is designed to assess the technology in education settings and whether they could reduce the risk of transmission.
As students in England return to classrooms from next week, this is just one of the measures that will be in place in schools to help reduce transmission. Students and staff will also be asked to continue twice-weekly testing, with two on-site tests provided for secondary and college students as they return.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said, “Providing all schools with carbon dioxide monitors will help them make sure they have the right balance of measures in place, minimising any potential disruption to education and allowing them to focus on world class lessons and catch up for the children who need it.
“By keeping up simple measures such as ventilation and testing, young people can now enjoy more freedom at school and college,” he added on August 23.
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Deirdre Tynan is an award-winning journalist who enjoys bringing the best in news reporting to Spain’s largest English-language newspaper, Euro Weekly News. She has previously worked at The Mirror, Ireland on Sunday and for news agencies, media outlets and international organisations in America, Europe and Asia. A huge fan of British politics and newspapers, Deirdre is equally fascinated by the political scene in Madrid and Sevilla. She moved to Spain in 2018 and is based in Jaen.
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