Maintaining High Levels of Cleanliness in Schools

Maintaining high levels of cleanliness in schools is essential in keeping disease and illness away from the classroom and keeping pupils in them.

​Coughs, colds, diarrhoea, sickness, skin infections: just some of the most common reasons why children are absent from school. Some infections can spread quickly throughout a classroom and then the school, often resulting in school closures and expensive deep-cleaning. In fact, in the school year of 2017-18, 60.1 per cent of all absences from the classroom were due to sickness.

School absenteeism can have many negative effects.

From elementary schools to college campuses, an unclean, untidy environment can be detrimental to students’ learning experience. A lack of cleanliness in educational facilities affects students in the following areas:

Health

Schools are a breeding ground for germs and illness. With more occupants per square foot than most offices, germs can spread like wildfire in schools. This problem can be especially harmful in elementary schools, as children’s’ developing immune systems make them more susceptible to illness than adults.

Attendance

When students are constantly getting sick, that means more time out of school. And while a child may be happy they get to spend the day at home rather than in the classroom, chronic absenteeism can be extremely detrimental to student performance. When students miss too much class, they may begin to fall behind their peers.

Concentration

Lack of cleanliness can also be a major distraction to students. So much as an untidy room can distract students from their teacher’s lesson, with distraction only increasing the dirtier the facility. Children have enough trouble concentrating as it is and don’t need the extra distraction while they are trying to learn.

Performance

These factors all contribute to a student’s academic performance. Negative effects on health, attendance, and concentration can hinder a student’s ability to perform successfully. In a clean school facility, students will be able to perform without impacts on their health or concentration impeding them.

It’s not just students that have more success in a clean school. Research shows a correlation between school cleanliness and teacher’s achievements as well, as a clean school makes for a less stressful working environment. The better a teacher performs, the better his or her students will perform.

A clean environment is a more productive environment for everyone. From the classroom to the cafeteria, from sanitary surfaces to shiny floors, students thrive in an environment that is clean, organized and tidy. If you want your students to perform to the best of their abilities, provide them with clean, sanitary school facilities.

Solution

As we are winding down towards the end of another school year, start reviewing your schools plan for creating the most pristine environment possible. Consider our free assessment of your school and our recommendation to take advantage of our Medical Grade “Terminal Clean” program for your “spring cleaning” and end of school year cleaning. Contact us today!