The air filters help remove tiny particles which can be inhaled deep into the lungs, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

London should pave the way for a UK-wide rollout of air quality filters in primary schools, according to Sir Sadiq Khan.

The London mayor has announced that 200 schools in London will receive HEPA (high efficiency particulate) filters after initial tests found they reduced levels of the key pollutant PM 2.5 by up to 68%.

The air filters being installed help remove tiny particles, which can be inhaled deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing health risks like heart disease, respiratory problems, and stroke, from the air.

The rollout will be focused on areas of London which have poorer air quality and higher levels of deprivation, with the mayor suggesting he sees the issue as a “social justice” one.

During a visit to St Mary’s RC Primary School in Battersea, Khan also confirmed he has had conversations with ministers about helping schools across the country benefit from the technology.

“We’ve had really good conversations, constructive conversations with the government who are supportive in relation to helping schools have solar panels, renewable energies, reduce the bills, but also helping tackle the issue of climate emergency and air quality filters as well,” Khan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Sometimes we like to be pioneers so we can make the case based on evidence of why the government should follow. As is often the case, you know, where London leads, others follow.”

In London, the 200 chosen schools will directly be contacted by City Hall or Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, who help deliver the filters. It is understood that 70 have already received them, with the rest due in the next few weeks.

Based on the results, the mayor said he will then look to have the filters installed across the city. He said: “We’re going to see what impact they make, and then we’ll roll them out further, pivoting and changing depending on what the evidence is.

“As a former lawyer, I believe evidence-based policy is what’s effective. So 200 first, and then we’ll roll out more as and when we see evidence of how effective these have been.”

Currently, schools outside of London are able to purchase HEPA units via the Department for Education, which delivered 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings with sustained high carbon dioxide readings between January 2022 and April 2023, according to the most recent data available.

Though sizeable, the units are quiet and not disruptive to classroom learning while operational. They are reported to be energy efficient and automatically switch off outside of school hours to keep energy costs low.

Year six pupil Funmi Akindiluremi, aged eleven, said pupils were initially “confused” when the filters were first installed.

“We saw a big machine humming at the back of the class, but we got used to it and after a few workshops we understood what they were doing for us and how they were helping our lives and our lungs,” she said.

“Kids all over London should have this because they’re very useful to stop little children’s lungs being damaged.”

The primary purpose of cleaning up the air in and around primary schools is to protect children from respiratory illnesses, which can lead to pupils being forced to lose valuable education time as they take long periods off school.

But the mayor warned that there was “not one silver bullet when it comes to tackling the issue of air pollution” and insisted a joined-up approach of other green measures, including Ulez (Ultra Low Emission Zone) charging, electrifying buses and promoting electric vehicles was key to continue boosting the capital’s air quality.

“I’m incredibly proud what we’ve done in nine years, where experts said it would take 200 years, which is to bring the air quality in London within legal limits,” Khan added.

“We’ve got more people, more cars than the Manchesters, the Liverpools, the Birminghams – what they’ve managed to do, we’ve managed to do. But unfortunately, we still have poison pollutants, particular matter, inside classrooms, which means children having respiratory illnesses, taking time off school, doing less well in school. And these air quality filters are one way to address that.”

Jared Brading, executive headteacher at St Mary’s RC Primary School in Battersea, said: “These new air filters are the culmination of a journey that began back in 2017, when the school was involved in the mayor’s school audit programme due to being in a busy Central London location.

“Today, every classroom benefits from cleaner, safer air, and that’s something our whole school community can be proud of.”

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