The Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education indicated during questioning by the Public Accounts Committee that schools will need to fund the purchase of air purification devices where they are needed, out of existing budgets.

Stephen Morgan MP, Labour’s Shadow Schools Minister, said:

“Children across this country are wearing coats in class because the government has again failed to plan ahead and get ventilation systems in place before the winter.

“Now almost two years into the pandemic, schools are learning that they will have to foot the bill for air filters out of already overstretched school budgets. 

“The Conservatives’ chaotic, last minute approach is damaging children’s educations and cannot go on. The Education Secretary must now get a plan in place for schools and get the vaccine out to children over 12 to limit the spread of the virus.”

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Given how crucial ventilation is in the fight against the spread of Covid in classrooms, we simply cannot work on the basis that only those schools that can afford air purification devices are able to access them. The government owes all children a safe and comfortable environment in which to learn, with minimum disruption to education. If air purifiers can help with that they must be available to all.”

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Labour calls for urgent action on ventilation as new data shows 67% increase in children out of school due to Covid

5th Oct 2021: Labour calls for urgent action on ventilation as new data shows there has been a 67% increase in the number of children out of school due to Covid in the two weeks up to 30 September.

204,000 children were out of school due to Covid last week, compared to 122,000 two weeks ago, emphasising the need for government to do more to keep children learning together in school.

Labour is calling on the Education Secretary to finally deliver the ventilation and support schools need to help prevent transmission within classrooms.

Government modelling shows that even with vaccine rollout 220,000 more school days are expected to be lost before the end of March due to Covid-19. Data from Cambridge University shows that increasing ventilation could halve the risk of Covid spreading from one infectious person to others in classrooms, demonstrating the urgent need to improve ventilation across schools.

Labour is also urging the Education Secretary to work with schools and the schools immunisation programme to get the vaccine out to teenagers as quickly as possible, alongside ensuring parents and pupils can access readily available information on the benefits of vaccination.

Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said

“The Government must not allow another year of children’s learning to descend into chaos with pupils constantly in and out of school.

“Ministers should have acted months ago to put ventilation systems in place in our schools and should be doing everything possible to vaccinate teenagers. Yet once again the Government has been too slow to act and children are left feeling the consequences.

“Labour has called for comprehensive Covid mitigations in schools, alongside setting out an ambitious recovery plan – extending the school day for new activities, tutoring for all who need it, mental health support in every school – to deliver the new opportunities to learn, play and develop every child needs. It’s time the Conservatives match Labours’ ambition for children’s recovery and their futures.”