The Mayor of London has launched a £2.7 million programme to improve air quality in schools by installing indoor air filters across the capital.
At least 200 schools will receive High Efficiency Particulate (HEPA) filters, which are proven to significantly reduce levels of PM2.5 – a fine particulate pollutant linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Research commissioned by City Hall found that classrooms with these filters experienced PM2.5 reductions of between 27% and 68% compared with those without. Similar findings have been confirmed by external studies, reinforcing the effectiveness of HEPA technology in improving indoor air quality.
Delivered in partnership with WSP, SmartAir, and the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans), the School Filters Programme is expected to benefit tens of thousands of pupils and staff.
The rollout will prioritise schools in deprived communities, aligning with the Mayor’s commitment to treating clean air as a social justice issue.
Each participating school will receive at least one filter per classroom, along with air quality monitors and educational support to help pupils and teachers understand the importance of clean air. The filters are designed to be energy efficient, automatically powering down outside school hours to reduce costs.
To mark the programme’s launch, Sadiq Khan and Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy Mete Coban visited St Mary’s RC Primary School in Battersea, which has already installed air filters, air monitors, and a living green wall to further protect pupils from pollution.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, founder of the Ella Roberta Foundation and a WHO BreatheLife Ambassador, said: ‘I am delighted the first phase of the school filtration project is under way. I first approached the Mayor about the issue of indoor air quality in schools after noting the scarily high school absence rates of children and young people after the COVID pandemic.
‘I realised then that the quality of the air inside schools was a huge issue and we needed to address the filtration process now, in order to help those suffering with conditions such as asthma, but also to help the health of all students and staff who are breathing in dirty, polluted air inside our schools. I am grateful the Mayor has committed to this filtration scheme in all London schools and hope it will go some way to improve the health of our city’s children.’
Catherine Sutton, CEO of Airborne Allergy Action CIC, said: ‘This is an important step towards protecting children and teachers suffering from asthma, allergies and anaphylaxis by improving indoor air pollution. Children and adults with a range of health conditions can be triggered or exacerbated by allergenic and non allergenic particles in the air such as dust mites, mould, tree/grass pollen, animal dander, pollutants and viruses. Cleaning up the air in classrooms will only help improve health for all.’
Photo: CDC
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