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Safe Air Schools is a parent-led organisation, supported by experts, working to improve air quality in classrooms. Founded in Hampshire, Safe Air Schools responds to challenges faced by schools nationwide and brings together a coalition of independent organisations united in the same goal. Our approach centres on inclusion, equity, sustainability and action rooted in evidence.
Open Letter
Update: Major national organisations and senior experts back our open letter on clean air in schools.
Safe Air Schools UK has written to ministers across all four UK administrations, calling for urgent action to improve air quality in schools, warning that continued inaction is contributing to illness, disrupted learning, and rising pupil absences.
Our letter to Education Ministers in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland has gained national support alongside international endorsement and support from senior clinicians and politicians, public health experts, leading air quality scientists, education professionals, parents, union and safety experts, all calling for action to improve indoor air quality in schools.
The letter warns that illness linked to poor indoor air quality is predictable, preventable, and disruptive, keeping children out of school and parents away from work, while undermining attendance, learning, and long-term health.
Key concerns
- CO₂ and other indoor air pollutants frequently reach levels known to reduce concentration and learning.
- Illness outbreaks linked to poor air quality drive school absences and disrupt in-person education.
- Children absorb more pollutants than adults, increasing the risk of lifelong health impacts.
- £67 million spent on CO₂ monitors at the height of the pandemic, yet barriers to use are well-documented, and there is no requirement to collect, record or act on readings.
- There is currently no coherent plan to ensure clean, safe indoor air in schools.
Despite £67 million being spent on CO₂ monitors for schools at the height of the pandemic, there is still no formal requirement to collect, record, or act on the data they generate.
The letter focuses on practical, achievable action, including
- Attendance policies aligned with public health, including ending the counterproductive 100% attendance awards that penalise medically vulnerable pupils.
- A national public health campaign on indoor air contaminants, alongside transparent monitoring of CO₂ and airborne pollutants.
- Updated guidance (BB101) and statutory indoor air quality standards, with continuous monitoring and carbon monoxide alarms installed as standard.
- Immediate funding for HEPA air filtration, alongside updated guidance for schools.
We welcome government recognition that indoor air quality affects health, as set out in existing UK guidance. However, there remains a clear gap between recognition and action. This gap is most acute in schools, and for children who are medically vulnerable.
Voices on the ground
“Clean air is a core pillar of our sustainable school strategy. Two years ago, we invested in HEPA air filtration units across our Hampshire school. The impact has been both measurable and meaningful - illness-related absences have decreased, and SEND outcomes now exceed national benchmarks. By improving air quality, we are creating healthier classrooms, reducing the spread of infection, and enabling more consistent, uninterrupted learning”. Headteacher, Martyn Reah, Ambassador for Safe Air Schools UK
"Clean air isn’t a luxury, it's essential infrastructure. It's the foundation for health, safety, learning and achievement. Children rely on adults to protect them, and their presence in school is not a choice they make. We know how to provide environments that safeguard health and nurture potential. The question isn’t if we can act, it’s when we will”. Nathalie Pearson, Founder and Parent, Safe Air Schools UK
Safe Air Schools UK is a founding signatory of the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air, launched at the United Nations in New York. We ask ministers in all four UK administrations to support the pledge and commit to clean, safe air for every child and teacher in every classroom.
Supporting Organisations
Airborne Allergy Action
Allergy UK
Anaphylaxis UK
AVM Consult Ltd
The Benedict Blythe Foundation
The British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology
Clean Air Advocacy Ireland
Clean Air Where
Clean Indoor Air Toronto
Clinically Vulnerable Families
The Ella Roberta Family Foundation
Freshbreeze Environmental Ltd
GO AQS
HouseFresh
Inclusive New Normal
Liveable Streatham Wells
Long Covid Advocacy
Mothers Rise Up
Natasha Allergy Research Foundation
NASUWT – The Teachers Union
The National Allergy Strategy Group
The National Education Union
Our Kids Climate
The Sadie Bristow Foundation
Societa Italiana Indoor Air Quality
Trade Union Clean Air Network
UK Hazards Campaign
Supporting Signatories
Distinguished Professor Jose-Luis Jimenez Aerosol Scientist and Atmospheric Chemist
Dr Bharat Pankhania Senior Clinical Lecturer in Public Health Medicine
Dr Simon Williams PhD Public Health Researcher, Swansea University
Dr Thomas Daniels Consultant Respiratory Physician, University Hospital Southampton
Dr Elisa Perego MA PhD Honorary Research Fellow, UCL, Long Covid Advocate
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
Paul Davies MP
Sotirious Papathanasiou Air Quality Expert and Founder of GO AQS
Matthew Clark Regional Clean Air Champion, East of England
Stephanie Trotter OBE President & Director of CO-Gas Safety
Ian Watkinson National Health and Safety Organising Forum
Heike Krüger Chairwoman of nano-Control, International Foundation
Professor Julia Lawton School of Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh
Nathalie Pearson BSc (Hons) Founder and Ambassador, Safe Air Schools UK
Martyn Reah Head Teacher, Safe Air Schools UK Ambassador
Mark Buckingham MSc, PGCE Secondary School Teacher, Safe Air Schools UK, Ambassador
Dr Ben King BSC (Hons), PhD, PGCE UN-Accredited Climate Change Teacher
Dr Mairead De Burca PhD HDLS BEd
Dr Ciara Steel MB BCh BAO, MICGP GP, Safe Air Schools Ambassador, Co-Founder CAAI
James Neill Consultant Data Analyst, Safe Air Schools UK
Hilda Palmer BSC (Hons) MSc Workplace Safety Campaigner
Karuna Sharma Chair Ontario School Safety
Mr Kieran Beggan CEO Fexillom
Julie Houston Retired
Heather Pun Parent
Louise Hidinger, Ph.D Group Lead, Science Communications; Parent
Kate Neville Former NHS Nurse; Parent
Allan J Molyneux Director
Sophie Secondary School Pupil
Ben Enwonwu Architect
Mr Muhammah Rajput Director; Father
Dr Sal Witcher OBE Founder and Director
Julianne Ponan MBE Founder, Creative Nature
Claire McGuigan Nurse and Chair, Food Allergy, Northern Ireland
Matt Wrack General Secretary NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union
Professor Frank Kelly Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London
Professor Glenis K. Scadding Vice President, European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases
Dr Ian Mudway Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Imperial College London
Gaetano Settimo Presidente Società Italiana Indoor Air Quality SIIAQ
Seven Blonde Certified Personal Trainer
Lindsay Hall Sustainability Consultant
Dr Lorna Powell Doctor, Campaigner and Mother
Claire Nixon Health and Safety Officer
Rosie Cotter Parent and Teacher
Dr Anna Rickard Parent and Paediatric Clinical Psychologist
Rebecca Finn Parent and Secondary Education Teacher
Dr Sara Lightowlers Doctor and Parent
Dr Jenny Judge Doctor British Society of Ecological Medicine
Emma Davis Parent & SVP Operations The Tenth Wellness
Helen Gray Research London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Jo Neville Parent
Hannah Newell Editor and Parent
Gemma Maconie Parent
Alex Yedigaroff Parent and chair of local community group
Dr Sarah Stockwell NHS Consultant
Odilon Couzin MPH Consultant
Dr Tessa Roberts Parent and Member of Parents For Future UK
Maya Mailer Co-Founder, Mothers Rise Up, Co-Director, Our Kids' Climate
Emily Fu Researcher and Parent Mothers Rise Up
Beth Evans Writer and Parent
Sophie Mason Parent
Ms Anna Gibson Support Staff
Mrs J Eveleigh Retired solicitor
Dr James MIlligan Medical Researcher and Doctor, Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation UK
Ms Tracey Mansell Careers adviser and parent
Ms C Morley Retired LSA
Sally Holt Researcher
Simone Todd IT Project Manager
Jennifer Wyn Parent
Mission
We empower young people and school staff to understand and advocate for healthy indoor air in their schools. We educate, raise awareness of and promote expert-backed guidance on monitoring and improving indoor air quality. We promote safe, effective air filtration tailored to each school's needs and support mandatory air quality checks to assess the health of learning environments.
We support evidence-based improvements to ventilation standards, striving for CO2 levels below 800 ppm, and advocate for funding for modern, energy-efficient ventilation systems in both new and existing school buildings.
Finally, we support the Clean Air Human Rights Bill to ensure every child and school staff member has the right to breathe clean air.
Commitment to Inclusivity
Clean indoor air removes barriers for children and teachers living with health needs, such as immunocompromised people, and those living with asthma and allergies. We are committed to safeguarding our at-risk and clinically vulnerable children, ensuring they are not excluded from learning.
Sustainable Education
Sustainable education means creating healthy indoor learning environments. Climate change worsens indoor air quality by increasing pollutants that elevate respiratory and allergy risks for students.
Equitable Education
Clean indoor air gives all children the same chance to thrive. No child should fall behind because of their postcode or the condition of their school buildings. Breathing clean air is a right for every pupil and teacher.
Gallery
We stand proudly alongside GO AQS
GO AQS (Global Open Air Quality Standards) GO AQS is a team of experts comprising scientists, public health professionals, and air quality experts, founded by our expert advisor, Sotirios Papathanasiou.
GO AQS is an initiative creating science-based global benchmarks for clean air indoors and outdoors. It replaces fragmented national rules with universal standards and a shared language, allowing air quality to be measured consistently worldwide.
GO AQS defines pollutant limits, builds a global air quality index, and ensures standards are equitable and transparent, giving everyone the right to breathe healthy air without reliance on single technologies or vendors.
