Coordinating support for schools to tackle air pollution

Key partnership information

Partner: Mayor of London, Greater London Authority and Global Action Plan

Funding amount: £55,000

Duration: February 2021 – February 2022

Programme: health effects of air pollution

What we’re doing together

We want to protect children from the effects of air pollution in the environments where they spend their time, particularly schools.

To do this, we are working with the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority to establish the London Schools Pollution Helpdesk to coordinate support and information for schools to help them tackle air pollution. The Helpdesk is a free to use service for all London schools as part of plans to clean up toxic air at schools in the worst polluted areas of the London.

To be run by the environmental charity, Global Action Plan, the London Schools Pollution Helpdesk will support schools across London. The Helpdesk with help coordinate and share support and information to help schools take meaningful steps to tackle air pollution.

Schools can contact the Helpdesk by phone, email, online forms or text for advice and the website will be a source for air pollution information offering signposting to the best resources and case studies for schools and will incorporate the latest findings about pollution measures.

Aims of the partnership

We are hoping the Helpdesk will enable two-way communication and knowledge sharing. We want to provide support schools need as well as learn from the challenges schools are facing in addressing air pollution in their school environment.

Connection to our strategy

Children are some of the most vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution. Children are more likely to be affected due to relatively higher breathing and metabolic rates as well as the immaturity of their lung and immune system.

We therefore want to understand how and when children are most exposed to air pollution to inform where and how we can best intervene to reduce this exposure. For most children, school is the environment where they spend most of their time when not at home. This makes schools a key environment where children are potentially exposed to harmful air pollution.

There is a growing breadth of research and work into air pollution in and around school environments, including, the Mayor of London’s School Air Quality Audit Programme. However, there are still significant challenges faced by schools in identifying and implementing the most effective interventions.