A survey by the GMB union of 800 school support staff in London and the South East, revealed that 81 per cent would feel safer if CO2 monitors were used in schools.
Evidence suggests there is a strong link between carbon dioxide levels in buildings and the airborne spread of coronavirus. Carbon dioxide is generated by the exhaled air of people indoors. The exhalation also contains tiny liquid droplets, which could contain Coronavirus if present in someone’s lungs.
The survey also revealed that just 12 per cent of respondents feel confident about the next academic year and returning to school in September.
One teaching assistant said, ‘We TA’s [teaching assistants] were left to die or survive and nobody seems to care! I worked feeling petrified, angry and freezing cold in the winter months in a classroom where the temperature was around 10C. I’m extremely exhausted and experiencing health issues as a result of this nightmare. I’m dreading September.'
Another GMB member commented, ‘I have sent my headteacher the research evidence for good ventilation in schools, but we still have many windows that don’t open, because they are broken.’
The Department for Education (DfE) is currently working with Public Health England (PHE), NHS Test & Trace and SAGE on a pilot project to measure CO2 levels in classrooms, however GMB says it is clear from the survey findings, this is not enough.
Nursery World has contacted the DfE for a response.
According to the union, schools in Germany and Ireland have already been provided with CO2 monitors.
Action is 'needed now'
GMB regional organiser Lisa Bangs said that action on CO2 monitors ‘needs to be taken now’.
‘Achieving good ventilation in schools is difficult and the use of CO2 monitors would allow school staff to understand the impact of activities, outdoor weather, and window openings on ventilation in their classrooms’, she explained.
‘Our members are often working in small areas with up to 30 children and good ventilation is key in reducing the risk of transmission of Covid-19. Many schools have windows that either do not open or only partially open and have areas within them such as dining halls where the ventilation is inadequate.
‘It is time for the Government to step up and provide schools with much-needed financial support to fund CO2 monitors and safe ventilation systems.’
The National Education Union (NEU) joined in the call for Government funding to improve ventilation in schools.
General secretary Dr Mary Bousted said, ‘Measures such as CO2 monitors are needed to check if ventilation is adequate. If it isn't and if the only way of ensuring adequate ventilation is through air filtration devices, then funding needs to be made available to purchase them. Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed this will be the case in schools and colleges in Scotland.
'Government cannot keep repeating the same mistakes and ignoring the importance of ensuring schools and colleges remain as COVID secure as possible. Failure to do so will result in the same pattern of unnecessary disrupted education we have seen throughout the pandemic’.
