Engaging schools in air quality work: lessons for success

The SAMHE project distributed indoor air quality monitors to over 1,300 UK schools, creating a database of more than 40,000 days of air quality data. To overcome barriers such as teacher time pressures and IT connectivity issues, the project utilised co-design, local authority partnerships, and curriculum-aligned resources. In collaboration with Hertfordshire County Council, the initiative delivered over 350 monitors to 29 schools and 700+ air purifiers across 63 schools, resulting in approximately 16,000 children breathing cleaner air.

• The SAMHE project achieved significant scale in monitoring and data collection, sending indoor air quality monitors to more than 1,300 schools and building a database containing over 40,000 days of indoor air quality data from across the UK.
• Collaboration with Hertfordshire County Council led to the deployment of over 350 SAMHE monitors in 29 schools and more than 700 air purifiers across 63 schools, which cleaned up to 2.8 billion litres of air per day for approximately 16,000 children.
• To increase school participation and recruitment, the project found that running trials and capturing testimonials was effective; the conversion rate from contacted schools to pilot sign-ups rose from 10% to 38% for the first roll out and 68% for the second wave.
• Technical barriers to monitor connectivity, including IT support unavailability and firewalls, were addressed through step-by-step guides, support sessions, and the use of 'SAMHE Champions' from local organisations like Hertfordshire County Council to provide in-person assistance.
• Successful engagement requires aligning projects with existing school aspirations and curricula, such as data logging skills, and partnering with local authorities who possess existing communication networks and the ability to enter schools to solve practical problems.

APA

Archer, R., Beale, V., Clark, M., Way, L., & West, S. E. (n.d.). Engaging schools in air quality work: lessons for success. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/samhe-poster-2.pdf

Chicago

Archer, Rhys, Victoria Beale, Matthew Clark, Lucy Way, and Sarah E West. Engaging schools in air quality work: lessons for success. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/samhe-poster-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Archer |first1=Rhys |last2=Beale |first2=Victoria |last3=Clark |first3=Matthew |last4=Way |first4=Lucy |last5=West |first5=Sarah E |title=Engaging schools in air quality work: lessons for success |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/samhe-poster-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{archerndengaging, author = {Archer, Rhys and Beale, Victoria and Clark, Matthew and Way, Lucy and West, Sarah E}, title = {{Engaging schools in air quality work: lessons for success}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/samhe-poster-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }