Survey to explore the experiences of using carbon dioxide monitors to improve ventilation in education settings in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In Wales, 31,970 carbon dioxide monitors were distributed to education settings to help teaching staff manage ventilation in classrooms as a strategy to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was sent to 1,494 state funded primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities across Wales by the Welsh Government to gain an understanding of the experiences using the monitors and their perceived effectiveness. The survey included 18 questions with free text answers and covered the following: number of teaching rooms monitored; number of classrooms with mainly green, amber, or red readings; any interventions made; and the monitor’s usefulness in managing ventilation. In total, 265 completed surveys were returned and the majority of the responses were from primary schools (n=211). The survey response rate was 17.7%. The data were analysed using a combination of descriptive summary statistics, content analysis, and thematic analysis. Of the 3402 classrooms being monitored, the percentage with mainly green readings was 56.6% (1926/3402) and the percentage with mainly red readings was 5.6% (191/3402). The percentage of education settings that reported at least one classroom requiring a remedial measure to improve the classroom ventilation was 35% and the most common intervention listed was opening doors and windows. For the respondents’ views on the monitors’ usefulness in managing ventilation, 48.3% of respondents found the monitors useful, 17.3% responded they were not useful, 6.0% responded they were moderately useful, and 22.6% did not respond to this question. Reported benefits of using the monitors included that they were helpful for raising awareness of ventilation issues and providing reassurance that the classrooms were being appropriately ventilated. The challenges of using the monitors included a lack of solutions in relation to remedial action that could be conducted to reduce CO2 levels, despite guidance being available. Overall, many education settings had a positive experience with using the CO2 monitors but for schools or colleges experiencing ventilation issues, further support and guidance along with intervention solutions from property teams within local authorities, further education institutions and higher education institutions are needed.