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The government has been urged to “pick up the pace” in getting CO2 monitors to schools as latest figures revealed more than half of the promised 300,000 devices are still yet to be delivered.
According to Department for Education data, 144,723 CO2 monitors had been given to state-funded schools and colleges by the end of last week.
Under a £25m programme, the government has pledged to deliver 300,000 devices by the end of the current autumn term.
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The devices have been hailed by ministers as a means of allowing school and college staff to quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved in buildings, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Separate figures have shown that the number of children out of school for COVID-19 related reasons in England rose to nearly a quarter of a million in the week before the October half-term.
The DfE estimates that 3.2% of all pupils – around 248,000 children – were not in class for reasons connected to coronavirus on 21 October.
This was up from around 209,000 children, or 2.6% of all pupils, on 14 October.
Teaching unions have called on the government to ensure CO2 monitors are delivered to all schools as quickly as possible, although the DfE insists the rollout of the devices is “on track”.
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‘We can’t blow it now’
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The government seems to be proud of its achievement of getting just short of 145,000 CO2 monitors out to schools and colleges
“But…
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Source : skynews
