Reading secures £327,000 for educational air quality schools initiative

We have secured £327,000 funding to create an interactive education programme in local primary and secondary schools to raise awareness about air quality.

Reading is one of 44 local authorities across the country to successfully bid for a share of £10.7 million funding for local authorities to improve air quality.  This is one of the larger per capita grants in the country. The money, from the Government’s annual Air Quality Grant, aims to help councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and communities and reduce the impact of air pollution on people’s health.

Reading Council now plans to work in partnership with the University of Reading to deliver the project, to engage with children and parents from at least 33 schools across Reading. The programme will deliver focused activities to increase awareness and encourage behaviour change.

The project will build Key Stage (KS) lesson plans, assemblies and activity days and workshops; as part of term length programmes to be delivered to schools. This could include involving the children in data gathering using sensors to determine ‘What is the air quality like around your school, on the way to school, around your home?’

The main aim of the project will be to:

• Increase knowledge of poor air quality, its causes, impacts and solutions, for primary and secondary school children with a range of age suitable activities;
• Increase awareness of air quality in the wider community including schools outside of the project, parents, and the communities around these schools.
• Encourage behavioural change in activities that impact on poor air quality by parents and the wider community, and in terms of measures school children, and others, can take to reduce their exposure to poor air quality.

The Council and its partners will aim to commence the project with schools from September 2023.