Ruth Brooker (founder of Clean Air for Kids) was invited in to the BBC studios this week, for an interview with John Darvall…

It has been estimated that installing air cleaners in schools in England would cost around £140 million while Sky News recently reported that supply teacher costs in England last year alone were £1.4 billion.

Schools are where children spend most of their time, but, with densely packed classrooms, this is where they are most likely to pick up sickness, which results in absence for them as well as diminished performance in exams.

Happy New Year Everyone!

In the lead up to Christmas, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak about air quality at two events…

In this excellent article - Steve Bladon charts a review of the tumultuous time in teaching when the pandemic first hit in 2020. He highlights how our children have mostly been failed by the government’s “abandonment of science, common sense and responsibility towards public health.”

Really proud that Clean Air for Kids is a supporting partner at this event taking place in New York at the United Nations this September.

Dr Al Haddrell lives and works in Bristol, so during the hot weather we met down by the river... for a chat about how to steer the project more directly.

Research recently published by experts in Canada shows that portable air filters (PAFs) such as those that could be used to clean the air in school classrooms and other indoor spaces are an important tool to help reduce the risk of transmission of airborne infectious diseases.

This is a simple guide to a complex topic to help you avoid bear traps when buying an air cleaning device using filters. 

We have a much more advanced guide available for those wanting to understand more about the reasoning behind the principles, considerations and checklist we have created. 

Sky News has reported that supply teacher costs are rocketing because of chronic teacher shortages and increased sickness absences; and that it has cost the education system nearly £1.4 billion in the last year alone. That money could be better spent on pupil enrichment.

Look at this image of two air cleaners, one used in a school, and the other brand new. The dirty one has collected all the muck that otherwise would have been breathed in by a child in a classroom. It started off white. It’s scary, isn’t it? That could all be in your child’s lungs. (And in your own lungs, too, because we all breathe similar air every day.)

If you agree that Bristol kids should breathe clean air when they are in school, we’d be delighted if you would help us.

Sian Berry, a Green MP for Brighton, has today introduced legislation into Parliament to establish the right to breathe clean air, and to have minimum standards in relation to the quality of the air we breathe.

Ruth Brooker, the founder of Clean Air for Kids, took her campaign to the streets of Bristol, and got a lot of interest from local residents.

This week, our poster on indoor air pollution is being promoted by Teach Primary magazine!

In January 2022, Bridget Phillipson, as Opposition Education Secretary, posted an epic thread on X (Twitter).

The economic benefits of improving New Zealand’s indoor air quality have just been demonstrated in a report to the Facilities Management Association of New Zealand.

It’s two years since Whole Family Productions created this video to inspire other children to have a go at building an air filter for their classroom.