Hampshire schools deserve clean air in classrooms. From scrubs to schools - indoor air quality is an education issue
In December 2019, my mother-in-law was in Vietnam. She told us people were starting to wear masks. A new virus was spreading. I was a healthcare professional, trained in respiratory care. I worried for NHS colleagues and what might be coming.
Soon the headlines flowed: frontline staff dying, families destroyed. I joined a local group making scrubs for frontline workers and soon found myself coordinating fabric, patterns and deliveries to local hospitals who requested them.
In May 2020, we lost my grandmother in a Chichester care home. Three days later, my uncle in the same home. When they shut the doors, I knew I wouldn’t see them again.
At the time, my daughters were in preschool and juniors. I had been looking for research on how this brand-new respiratory virus might affect children, but there wasn’t any. I remember reading an article called Canary in the Coal Mine. It raised concerns about exposing children to a novel virus without knowing risks. It mentioned CO₂ monitors – and that began my indoor air pollution journey.
We’ve known for 160 years, since Florence Nightingale, that clean air inside hospitals saves lives. Why weren’t we applying that same knowledge to clinical settings and schools?
We sewed blankets for my daughter’s school so windows could more comfortably stay open. It wasn’t perfect but it was important. In September 2020 I found a small group of parents whose children weren’t recovering from COVID-19. At first, there were seven. Then hundreds. Then thousands. I began supporting the organisation full time and co-wrote schools packs and newsletters to educate.
Through research and learning from experts, I realised a novel virus was just one part of a huge air quality jigsaw. If we want children to thrive in the place they spend most of their time outside home, we need to protect the air they breathe in classrooms.
My daughter and I have been looking at the air quality inside her school for two years. CO₂ levels, a proxy for poor ventilation, regularly exceeds recommended guidelines, and particulate matter can surpass World Health Organization limits for air pollution. We’ve also taken readings in public places including the Houses of Parliament. Air quality in her school is far worse.
In 2023, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah built a DIY air filter with two other experts. Her nine-year-old daughter, Ella, was the first person in the UK to have air pollution officially listed as a cause of death. Their video showed us how to build simple, low-cost devices using filters and a fan.
My daughter built one to donate to her school. It lived in the science classroom. After four months, the filters were black and filthy. That’s what the filters had trapped so children’s lungs didn’t have to.
In Hampshire, sickness is consistently the leading cause of authorised absence in schools, and we exceed the national average. Friends Of The Earth identify 15 schools in Portsmouth in neighbourhoods that exceed WHO limits. Twice.
So this isn’t just about viruses. Outdoor pollution, dust mite debris, pollen, mould spores. These aren’t just irritants. Evidence shows they contribute to asthma attacks, allergic reactions, missed school days, difficulty concentrating, lower test scores, long-term illness and more.
I built and wrote a website last year to share my work, what I’d learned and to empower others. Safe Air Schools is a parent-led organisation, supported by experts, working to improve air quality inside schools. Our approach centres on inclusion, equity, sustainability, and evidence-based action. Founded in Hampshire, our initiative responds to challenges shared by schools nationwide. The website highlights the problems, and shows what families, educators, and decision-makers can do right now. Im also contributing to the National Allergy Strategy 10-Year Plan.
I’ve had the absolute privilege of meeting Rosamund. She’s working with Mayor Sadiq Khan to bring commercial air filters into London schools. Children everywhere need that same protection.
Clean air isn’t a luxury – it’s infrastructure. It’s the foundation for health, safety, learning and achievement. We have immediately available, affordable solutions. The question now is not whether we can act, but when we will.
For more information or to get involved, go to www.safeairschools.org