The Clean Air Toolkit
This joint initiative with Sustrans and Public Health Dorset aims to improve air quality outside schools. Did you know one in 11 children in the UK have asthma?

To help children and families understand and reduce air pollution, we've created a curriculum-linked ‘Clean Air Toolkit’. It includes resources for lessons, activities, assemblies, and community engagement. The toolkit is perfect for teachers, eco clubs or school council projects.
The original toolkit has four sections:
- Inform - Educate about air quality and idling
- Investigate - Assess the problem at your school
- Involve - Share knowledge with the community
- Improve - Take action to reduce idling and improve air quality
It is linked to the national curriculum, so could form part of curriculum time. In this case, we’d suggest you use all sections and select appropriate activities from each.
To run a campaign, use the ‘inform’ section to raise the issue with the whole school via an assembly and then skip to the ‘involve’ section.
Families and community groups can also participate. Find out more here.
Additional resources developed with DEFRA funding (2022/23):
- Diffusion tube student worksheet
- Air pollution starter worksheet
- Clean air routes worksheet
- Growing plants for indoor air quality worksheet
- Video of children in BCP explaining about how we can reduce air pollution in our conurbation
We'd love to hear about your campaign! Email activetravel@bcpcouncil.gov.uk with examples of your campaign. Tag us on social media:
- Facebook: @MyBCPCouncil and @TransformingTravel
- X: @BCPCouncil
Direct links to the resources available in the original toolkit:
Inform
- Infant presentation video
- Junior presentation video
- Infants PowerPoint presentation – to deliver yourself
- Junior PowerPoint presentation – to deliver yourself
Investigate
- Where does air pollution come from?
- Lichen hunt worksheet
- Lichen ID opal worksheet
- Explore your air
- Idling count
- Diffusion tubes
- An airmazing nanoadventures
Involve
- Competition guidance sheet
- Facts to share on air quality
- Idling impact leaflet
- Idling awareness Infants
- Idling awareness Juniors
- Banner for emails and newsletters
- Pledge cards
Improve
- Large school gates printable banner 1m x 3m. We’ll provide you with a 1m x 3m PVC copy of the banner (whilst stocks last) to display at your school to remind drivers why they should switch off their engines when stopped.
- School Travel policy template
- Personalised school travel policy