Carbon dioxide to be monitored in schools

Carbon dioxide monitors will be provided to schools in England to help staff tackle poor ventilation and reduce the spread of Covid-19, the Government has said.

The Department for Education (DfE) said a £25 million investment will go towards rolling out around 300,000 monitors across all statefunded education settings from September.

The portable monitors will allow school and colleges to assess where ventilation needs improvement and take steps to remove air that may contain virus particles from indoors spaces.

Education unions, backed by the Liberal Democrats, had urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to take action on ventilation in schools amid concerns about the Covid-19 risks posed to staff and pupils in the autumn term.

Special schools and alternative provision will be prioritised under the scheme due to their numbers of vulnerable pupils.

Mr Williamson said: "Providing all schools with CO2 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 worldclass lessons and catch up for the children who need it.

"By keeping up simple measures such as ventilation and testing, young people can enjoy more freedom at school and college."

The Government has also launched a trial of air purifiers aimed at assessing the technology in education settings and whether it reduces the risk of transmission.