To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to issue guidance to further education colleges on making adjustments and improvements to premises used for teaching and other purposes to (a) improve ventilation and (b) reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission.
Answered on
5 July 2022
We have provided CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding.
The monitors enable staff to identify areas where ventilation needs to be improved and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping rooms warm.
The law says employers, including education and childcare settings, must make sure there is an adequate supply of fresh air (ventilation) in enclosed areas of the workplace. This has not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health and Safety Executive provides more information on this at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/.
From 1 April 2022 the government has withdrawn most pieces of specific COVID-19 guidance for education and childcare settings, although public health and emergency planning guidance for education and childcare settings is still available.
If settings suspect an outbreak of respiratory infection, which could include COVID-19, they should review and reinforce the baseline infection prevention and control measures they already have in place.