Only two new air purifiers are to be allocated to schools in Plymouth, the government has revealed in an answer to local MP, Luke Pollard.
This comes after the government announced in January it would be rolling out 7,000 new air purifiers to schools this year. Responding to a written parliamentary question from Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard, Schools Minister Robin Walker has confirmed that only two of these will be allocated to schools in Plymouth.
In January, Mr Pollard has called for every school in Plymouth to be properly by the end of 2022 at the very latest. He has stressed again the need for all schools to submit all the data they can to the government, to get the air purifiers they need.
The Government had announced 7,000 ventilators units would be allocated to schools but using data from the Government and the City Council, Luke estimates that 28,300 children in Plymouth will miss out on ventilation because this funding is inadequate. However, just two schools receiving support means the vast majority of Plymouth’s school children are missing out.
Luke said:
“We need to live well with COVID. That does not mean ignoring COVID, rather it means making changes to keep levels low and look after the most vulnerable in our society.
“Every school in Plymouth should have proper ventilation in every classroom by the end of the year. The fact that just two Plymouth schools received support after the huge Government fanfare for this policy shows it is just hot air. I want every classroom in our city to be properly ventilated and that should not mean kids wearing coats in the classroom in freezing cold classrooms with windows open.
“I am writing to schools in Plymouth asking them to ensure that they’ve submitted data from the Government-issued CO2 monitors in classrooms so we have get our fair share of funding in the next round of ventilation funding.”
“If Ministers want us to live with COVID they’ve got to substantially up their game on classroom ventilation.”