01 August 2024
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HVAC manufacturer CIAT is raising awareness about the need for continued spending on school ventilation, following a call for "learning environments to be fit for learning" by Geoff Barton, former General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
A recent ASCL survey asked 8,585 teachers and leaders about the condition of the classroom they had most recently taught in. 57% responded that it was too hot in summer because of poor ventilation, and 28% said it was too cold in winter because of inadequate heating systems.
In response to a 2023 National Audit Office report that indicated years of underinvestment, a declining school estate and that approximately 700,000 pupils are learning in a school in need of significant rebuilding or refurbishment - Barton said in his final address at the annual conference of the ASCL in March 2024: "Over half of teachers say their classrooms are too hot in the summer because of poor ventilation; over a quarter say they are too cold in the winter because of inadequate heating systems; nearly a fifth say the electrics are poor, and the same proportion say windows or doors are broken.
"Not only has capital investment been wholly inadequate, but tortuous funding systems mean many schools have to scrabble for cash through a bidding process – just to afford the cost of basic repairs and maintenance. It is surely obvious that government has to do better than this – that learning environments have to be fit for learning."
A Carrier-backed study by researchers at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that inadequate ventilation causes elevated CO2 levels, higher concentrations of harmful particulate matter than PM2.5, and increased levels of volatile organic compounds. This leads to reduced cognitive functioning and physical complications.
"Lab tests revealed that cognitive function scores were 61% higher in green buildings (with low VOCs) than conventional buildings," said Matthew Maleki, Business Development Manager and IAQ Champion at CIAT UK&I.
"In enhanced green buildings with low VOCs and enhanced ventilation, they were a massive 101% higher. Green and well-ventilated buildings can generate massive improvements in people's cognitive function and mental health. Students are not only protected from more physical harm, but they are more productive and less likely to be off sick. Bright, well-ventilated spaces with lots of daylight are vital."
Read more:
https://thecogfxstudy.com/study-2/higher-cognitive-function/
