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<p>To date, department officials are not aware of any studies looking at the impact
of using air conditioning units (ACU) specifically in early years settings. However,
there is strong evidence from laboratory studies of the efficacy of high-efficiency
particulate absorbing (HEPA) filtration technology at removing airborne viruses and
particulate matter from the air. In addition, department officials sit on the working
group for a project looking at the implications and potential benefits of fitting
primary schools with air cleaning technology: the Bradford classroom air cleaning
technology (class-ACT) trial. This was funded by the Department of Health and Social
Care and managed through the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The study is run from
the Centre for Applied Education Research which is based at the Bradford Teaching
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The trial has concluded and the academic leads
intend to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal in due course.</p><p>The
department recognises that good ventilation helps to create a healthy indoor environment
for staff and students. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that
contains virus particles which reduces the risk of respiratory illness, as well as
improving pupils’ alertness and concentration.</p><p>Between September 2021 and April
2023, the department delivered over 700,000 CO<sub>2</sub> monitors to over 45,000
state-funded settings, including early years, further education, childminders operating
in groups of four or more, and children’s homes that offer places to 6 or more. This
means that all eligible settings now have an assigned CO<sub>2</sub> monitor for every
teaching and childcare space to help them manage their ventilation.</p><p>For settings
that identified spaces with sustained high CO<sub>2</sub> readings (1500ppm or more)
through their monitors, an application process was made available for department-funded
ACUs that utilise HEPA technology. This policy was informed by the Scientific Advisory
Group for Emergencies’ (SAGE) Environmental Modelling Group, which advises that ACUs
have limited benefit in spaces that are already adequately ventilated and should only
be considered where the ventilation is inadequate and cannot be easily improved. The
department has subsequently delivered over 9,000 ACUs to over 1,300 settings between
January 2022 and April 2023. This included eligible early years settings.</p>
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