Schools monitoring classroom air quality

SAMHE (pronounced "Sammy") stands for "Schools' Air quality Monitoring for Health and Education". It is a DfE supported citizen science project bringing together scientists, pupils and teachers to establish a network of air quality monitors in schools across the UK, creating an unparalleled dataset which will help researchers better understand schools' indoor air quality.

Schools will get a free high spec air quality monitor linked to a specially designed interactive Web App. The App will enable pupils and teachers to view and interact with the data from their monitor.

Poor air quality impacts pupils' health and concentration, affecting attendance and attainment. SAMHE will provide evidence for better national policies and practice. More than that, it gives pupils the opportunity to be citizen scientists and do hands-on experiments with their monitors. Schools could use SAMHE to help pupils learn about air quality and health, design experiments, improve their data skills, gain agency in controlling their environment, develop advocacy and responsibility… and much more!

SAMHE is designed with and for schools and delivered by a partnership between SEI York at the University of York together with Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Surrey, University of Leeds and the UK Health Security Agency. It is funded by the Department for Education and EPSRC. You can read more about the SAMHE project on the SEI website. 

Do you have links to a UK school? 

We’re looking for schools who are willing to help us test the initial version of our Web App before we launch it more widely early in 2023. We want to know how well the Web App works for students and teachers, to ensure it meets schools’ needs. Could your school be one of these ‘SAMHE pioneer schools’? If your school would be interested in getting involved, and is available to help with testing starting in November, please sign up now using our schools' registration form.

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Would you like to stay up to date with our scientific findings on air quality in schools, project updates and inspiring stories of how schools are using their monitor and the Web App to learn about their classroom air? Sign up to receive the SAMHE newsletter using using our contact form. 

Learn more on the SAMHE website