Tackling Air Pollution at School

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics

Abstract

The aim of this network is to bring together interdisciplinary expertise to address the problem of air quality in schools. The future health of our nation and indeed all human society depends on educating children in healthy environments. The Tackling Air Pollution at School (TAPAS) network focuses on that vulnerable section of every society - school children and their environment. Our vision is to create and develop a menu of options that can be introduced into schools to provide an environment free of pollutants and in harmony with nature, so that children have a fulfilling and healthy educational experience. These products need to be effective, inexpensive and, where possible, educational: i.e. they should involve the children in an understanding of their environment and provide them with an opportunity to engage with it in social, scientific and behavioural terms.
We have chosen to focus on schools and school children for the following reasons. Children are a particularly vulnerable section of society. They are physiologically less able to regulate their temperature and are more susceptible to exposure to air pollution than adults. Among the vulnerable groups in society school pupils will experience the impact of poor air quality for the longest period into the future. Recently, over 2000 schools in the UK were identified as being in 'pollution hotspots' where air pollution exceeds WHO limits. From a practical viewpoint, working in schools has many advantages. School keep records on student attendance and pupils which provide information on absences related to health. They also have data on room occupancy, pupil activities (e.g. PE, meals) and movement through the school. This information is essential to determine personal exposure. Additionally, schools offer a wide variety of spaces including labs, meeting halls, dining areas as well as classrooms, each with different ventilation and indoor sources of pollution.
The ability of schools to mitigate exposure to pollution is hampered by lack of knowledge. For example, the impact of idling vehicle engines near school while dropping off and collecting children on exposure in the playground or on indoor levels of NOx and particulate matter (PM) is unclear, making it impossible for schools to decide whether to ban idling or not.
Our interdisciplinary team consists of experts in indoor and outdoor pollution, air pollution modelling, data science, building design and ventilation, education, social behaviour and health impacts. This will allow this network to address the critical issues associated with pollution in schools by offering a menu of solutions. We also propose to include a significant educational component so that pupils will learn about the impacts of poor air quality and take this knowledge with them as they grow up, thereby producing a lasting change in society. Schools also accommodate children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who are even more vulnerable and who often require special environmental conditions. Furthermore, there are currently a wide range related activities concerning indoor environmental quality in schools that this network will bring together for the first time in a coordinated fashion.

Planned Impact

TAPAS will bring together academics across disciplines with a broad range of stakeholders from industry, policy and the public sector. By its very nature, TAPAS is set up to further the research agenda on air quality (AQ) in schools with the potential for tangible impacts on the ground.

The indoor and outdoor air quality communities have historically worked separately. Similarly, although much research has been undertaken on AQ in schools, this is happening piecemeal across a range of different organisations - from academic institutions to NGOs and public sector bodies. TAPAS will improve the quality of knowledge on air pollution at the indoor-outdoor interface, specifically in relation to schools, by bringing together the different stakeholders in one network for the first time. Doing this will improve access to existing knowledge and ensure commissioned research is impact-focused.

As an open network, TAPAS will provide an opportunity for early career researchers (ECRs) to work in a multidisciplinary environment on a key public health issue. ECRs will also benefit from links with our industry partners and other agencies participating in the network. We will provide career development for students, by offering placements on these projects for undergraduates, Masters and PhD students.

Children at over 2000 schools are being exposed to levels of air pollution that breach EU limits on Nitrogen Dioxide . By bringing leading researchers for indoor and outdoor air pollution together with the most relevant stakeholders, TAPAS will provide a unique opportunity to explore ways to improve the health of tens of thousands of children. It will also provide an opportunity to educate children about air pollution and change the debate for the future.

The breadth and calibre of the TAPAS network will enable us to target our outputs appropriately across the community. For example, partner organisations such as the Client Earth Clean Air Parents Network will help us to reach parents; schools will be targeted via local authority partners, DfE and through Global Action Plan's links to teachers' organisations such as the National Association of Head-Teachers; and policy-makers will be engaged directly through local councils, the GLA, TfL, DfE and bodies such as the Air Pollution Research in London (APRIL) network.

The network will fund research activities that involve going into schools (for example, to carry out monitoring of air quality) and we will work with educationalists and citizen science specialists to engage children in novel ways. Through TAPAS, we will identify ways to integrate AQ issues into the educational curriculum.

TAPAS will help to improve public services and policy in relation to air pollution in schools by giving policy makers direct access to other stakeholder viewpoints, and a holistic view of the available knowledge. Schools are a distinct group for the purposes of regulation and we will exploit clear pathways for impact, such as via the development of Guidelines on Ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality for school buildings and through the All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution. The worst impacted schools are mostly in inner cities, so we will link to City-level policy makers through initiatives such as Core-Cities and UK-100.

The public will benefit since it is estimated that the health effects from air pollution exposure cost the NHS and social care services more than £40 million each year. Even a small improvement in exposure at school could reap great rewards for children and the UK economy. TAPAS will engage the public through activities with school children designed to increase their awareness. Examples could include children's street theatre highlighting poor AQ issues that parents could watch and be informed. We will maintain a website and produce videos highlighting issues raised in network discussions and research projects.
 
Description We have held several networking events bringing together air pollution researchers, public policy, asthma specialists, school leaders, campaigners, parents and industry stakeholders. The new connections made from these events has been documented and in some cases led to other projects/events. We also hold bi-annual lunchtime seminars series which invites specialists to talk on their chosen topics. These seminars are recorded and are available for playback on our website. We have a close working relationship with the Future Urban Ventilation Network and have held 2 stakeholder engagement events with them in 2022 to discuss the development of a UK IAQ Observatory. Our third workshop is scheduled for May 2023 with members from across government invited. Our teacher resources webpage is populated with videos and posters explaining how ventilation works and how maths can be used to help us understand ventilation and air quality. These were developed by TAPAS researchers. Our news webpage links to blogs, publications and media articles written by TAPAS researchers. Our 3 TAPAS funded research projects are well underway and will be submitting their final reports shortly.

We have a close relationship with the other SPF funded clean air networks and are planning a joint
Exploitation Route We hope to influence policy makers to develop a National Clean Air Strategy for Schools by encouraging various government bodies to work together and take responsibility for cleaning the air inside and around schools. In collaboration with FUVN, we hope to initiate a UK indoor air quality Observatory. We hope to provide the relevant materials for schools to use to better understand air pollution and take action to provide clean air strategies to students and staff. We hope for TAPAS to become a central go-to hub for this information.
Sectors Education

Environment

URL https://tapasnetwork.co.uk
 
Description 12/5/23 Magazine article: The need for a national clean air strategy for schools 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Magazine article: 'The need for a national clean air strategy for schools' writtend by TAPAS network manager - published in Education Business Magazine on 12/5/23
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description 19/10/23 Henry presented SAMHE (and TAPAS) at Ricardo's air quality conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact 19/10/23 Henry presented SAMHE (and TAPAS) at Ricardo's air quality conference
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description 6/7/23 Presentation (Prashant Kumar) to Clean Air Networks Conference 'Practical recommendations to mitigate air pollution exposure to school children' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact 6/7/23 Presentation (Prashant Kumar) to Clean Air Networks Conference 'Practical recommendations to mitigate air pollution exposure to school children'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description 8-9th Jan 2024: China-UK Research and Innovation Forum 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact TAPAS' Network Manager, Kat Roberts, represented TAPAS at a China-UK Research and Innovation Forum on 8-9th Jan 2024 hosted by Chongqing University & the British Consulate General in Chongqing, China. The forum focused on 'Urban Built Environments and Thermal Resilience under Low-Carbon Transition Mode' and UK experts were invited to collectively collaborate with our Chinese colleagues on the future improvement and development of sustainable urban scale thermal resilience. Kat presented on UK strengths including the UK Clean Air Champions and Clean Air Networks and our efforts to date to establish a UK Indoor Air Quality Observatory. She highlighted the importance of collecting longitudinal indoor air quality data from across multiple building sectors so we can better understand health and climate impacts and can support future policy on urban & building design. It is hoped that researchers from China and the UK continue to collaborate and work towards a more sustainable future for all.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description 8/12/22 Position paper: Should air cleaners be deployed in schools? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact position paper: Should air cleaners be deployed in schools? written by Prof Nic Carslaw, TAPAS Co-I
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description 9/10/22 - Blog: What is the impact of air quality on lung health? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact TAPAS network manager wrote a blog for the #AskAboutAsthma campaign: What is the impact of air quality on lung health?
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Bi-yearly TAPAS Full Network Meetings 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact TAPAS has held full network meetings twice a year with different themes and invited expert speakers. The meetings include breakout sessions where delegates were invited to share knowledge and ideas. All outputs are recorded on our website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2021,2022,2023
 
Description Clean Air Networks Conference 5-6th July 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The Clean Air Networks funded by NERC organised and participated in a joint Clean Air Networks Conference held at Birmingham University 5-6th July 2023. TAPAS was involved in the planning, engagement and execution of all aspects of the conference and various TAPAS CO-I's and members presented on behalf of the network.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Full Network meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact The meeting discussed the question 'Should air cleaners be used in schools?'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://co-trace.uk
 
Description Kick Off event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This meeting was a Kick Off for the project. We outlined our aims and introduced the team members to our partner organisations. We also invited participation from the other NERC Clean Air networks.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://tapasnetwork.co.uk/resources
 
Description Lunchtime Seminar Series 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact We have held bi-yearly lunchtime seminar series with invited expert speakers presenting and sharing their work with our TAPAS community. All these presentations have been recorded and uploaded to our website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2021,2022,2023
 
Description Monthly TAPAS newsletter 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Monthly newsletter sent to TAPAS subscribers updating them with the latest news of the TAPAS network and our partners
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2021,2022,2023
 
Description Network meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact The meeting discussed the question 'What is the influence of Covid 19 on the the importance of air quality in schools?'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://co-trace.uk
 
Description Presentation at the 'Developing the future of indoor air quality observatories for healthy buildings in a net zero world' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Presentation at the 'Developing the future of indoor air quality observatories for healthy buildings in a net zero world', attended by 30+ people, 29/09/2022
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Presentation at the IAQ-UK-Fr event in Paris 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation at the IAQ-UK-Fr event in Paris attended by 35 people, 28/04/2022
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description SAQN/TAPAS network online networking event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Online networking event 'Indoor Air Measurements'. Lightning talk on SAMHE data and co-design.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Stakeholder Engagement Workshops for a UK Indoor Air Quality Observatory 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact TAPAS, together with our sister clean air network Breathing Cities (FUVN), have been working together to initiate discussions for a national Observatory for indoor air quality (IAQ). We have jointly held 3 stakeholder engagement workshops to discuss the viability of developing our vision. We have held 3 stakeholder engagement workshops to date and are now ready to engage with wider stakeholder groups. These workshops have had unanimous support from policy, academia, and industry representatives and work is still ongoing to develop this vision further.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022,2023
 
Description TAPAS seminar series 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The network hosted a series of 6 seminars running weekly from February 4 - March 11. The goal of these seminars was to introduce topics of interest to TAPAS from experts across the UK on related topics. About 50+ persons attended each of these online presentations and the slides are on the TAPAS website
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://tapasnetwork.co.uk/resources
 
Description Talk at TAPAS Network meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Talk at TAPAS Network meeting 19/10/2022 to teacher, health professionals, other researchers, NGOs to promote project
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Visit to UCL's CAVE and PEARL facilities 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited to attend a tour of UCL's PEARL and CAVE facilities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Workshop at Healthy Buildings Europe: 'Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools'. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact The TAPAS network hosted a workshop at Healthy Buildings Europe to discuss 'Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools'. Complimenting the conference theme 'Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries' we invited speakers from across the globe to speak on this topic.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description World Ventilation Day 8/11/22 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact TAPAS proudly supported the inaugural 2022 World Ventilation Day which aims to raise awareness of the importance of ventilation as a crucial part of enabling health and wellbeing of people. It also seeks to recognise and celebrate the ventilation and indoor air quality community. The day was a huge success and TAPAS celebrated with researchers at the University of Cambridge who engaged students and staff in various ventilation activities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022