We're on a mission to understand indoor air quality in UK schools

Our new publication Improving air quality in UK schools brings together SAMHE's findings and other evidence on air quality in UK schools and makes recommendations for policy and practice. This publication will be shared with policymakers; local authorities; school leaders and building managers; teaching unions; and school architects, builders and those who carry out school maintenance.

On 25 November we will have the opportunity to share these recommendations with MPs, Members of the House of Lords and key stakeholders from across the research and innovation system at a reception organised by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). We have been invited to the reception to showcase the SAMHE project and its impact on improving outcomes for children. In the words of UKRI "Your work has been selected as a standout example of how UKRI-funded research connects discovery to prosperity for a better tomorrow.".

Our latest technical report examines air quality in SAMHE schools throughout the 2023-24 academic year. Once again, the analysis suggests that keeping classrooms warm during colder weather periods may, for some schools, provide a significant barrier to providing adequate ventilation, with some monitors recording daily mean CO₂ values above the maximum government guideline of 1500 ppm during cold periods.

Particulate matter levels fluctuated over the course of the academic year but generally remained below the maximum daily mean value of 15 μg/m3 recommended by the World Health Organisation.

We've also published a paper on assessing classroom ventilation rates, using data from SAMHE monitors, which shows that ventilation rates in occupied classrooms are generally low.

You can access these and all the SAMHE project reports and research papers, on our Outputs page, along with short, simple summaries which aim to make the findings accessible to teachers, pupils (with teacher support for younger pupils), parents and others. We will continue to add new outputs to the page as they are published in the months and years to come.

Our free Teacher Resource Pack is now available! It enables schools without a SAMHE monitor to access parallel versions of many of the educational activities in the SAMHE Web App, including quizzes, data analysis, videos, and creative activities.

The pack contains 20 activities that can be used to teach pupils from age 5 - 18 about air quality and support their development of a range of different curriculum based skills. Teacher guidance is embedded throughout and we have included example data and graphs for pupils to work with. Many of the activities complement curriculum teaching and they can also be used for extracurricular activities, such as science clubs.

SAMHE is now in a new phase and no longer offering air quality monitors to schools, so we're delighted to be able to offer this stand-alone pack to enable all schools to benefit from the resources we've developed.

Download the Teacher Resource Pack from our Get Involved page.

Discover fun, free ways to use SAMHE to celebrate British Science Week, read inspiring stories from schools and help us design a tool for schools to see the costs and benefits of installing HEPA filter units.

Access no-prep, fun activities for the last week of term, read SAMHE's recommendations for policy and practice on air quality in UK schools, download a poster for your classroom and hear about our trip to parliament!

Featuring inspiring stories from SAMHE schools, new activities and data visualisations, our latest findings and ways we're sharing them with those who can make a difference to air quality in UK schools.