St Paul’s Steiner School is an Steiner-Waldorf School for children age 3 - 14 years old.
The school is housed in a 19th century church in central London which is located on a very busy intersection. The whole school site, and in particular the Early Years/Kindergarten Playground, is exposed to very high levels of pollution throughout the day.
In recent years the school community has become increasingly concerned about the dangerous levels of pollution affecting the children at school and the detrimental effects this has on their health and development. So far, as part of our clean air initiative, the St Paul’s Community Group (SPCG) has installed four air filters in the school, and we are committed to fitting them in every classroom.
We have plans to install a Green Wall in the Kindergarten Garden during the Summer Holidays 2019.
The St Paul’s Community Group is able to fund some of the work, and we are hoping to raise £4,000 to help reach our goal.
Air Quality Benefits:
A recent study by the GLA and Defra at a school in Kensington showed:
‘The ivy screen led to a decrease in the pollution concentrations on the playground side of the screen by up to 36% and 41% for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM10), respectively’.
The living ivy wall also increases biodiversity as it attracts insects, bees, butterflies and birds. Ivy screens help to reduce noise pollution, acting as a vegetative acoustic barrier. Offering an attractive, aesthetic alternative to walls and fencing, turning grey spaces to green.
Little maintenance is required with drip line irrigation installed to help the ivy thrive and only yearly pruning needed.