Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to provide Government funded schools with the funding to install portable high efficiency particulate filters in classrooms where existing ventilation is inadequate to reduce the transmission of covid-19; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on providing long-term funding for schools to install or upgrade mechanical ventilation systems; and if he will make a statement.

The department is providing CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools, and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding.

The new monitors will provide further reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm. The department has also provided new information on how to use CO2 monitors to better manage ventilation.

In the case of persistent red readings on CO2 monitors, settings should initially look at whether doors or windows can be opened, and/or mechanical ventilation systems fixed.

If this is not feasible and CO2 readings cannot be improved, settings should look at undertaking further works to address the underlying problem. Remedial works to improve ventilation remain the responsibility of individual settings. Schools receive an annual devolved formula capital allocation to spend on small capital projects or capital purchases.

For more substantial capital works, schools and those responsible for school buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of their buildings through different routes depending on their size and type. Further details are available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding. Day to day maintenance, including minor repairs to improve ventilation, should be typically funded from revenue budgets.

The case for additional support for settings to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues and schools, colleges, and nurseries use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.

Department officials and Ministers regularly meet with a wide range of other government departments and external organisations to discuss the government's COVID-19 outbreak response. This includes the use of public health measures in education settings such as ventilation.