Students and teachers in all eligible secondary schools will now
have access to life-saving equipment to use in an emergency
thanks to the delivery of 5,435 defibrillators, backed by £19
million of government support.
This means that the Government has met its commitment to ensure
that all state-funded schools in England have access to this
life-saving equipment by the end of the academic year.
Secondary schools were prioritised for deliveries due to the risk
of cardiac arrest increasing with age but the roll out to all
primary and special schools is well underway and is expected to
be complete before the end of the summer term.
The Government’s roll out follows campaigning from the Oliver
King Foundation and its founder Mark King, who has been raising
awareness about the need for defibrillators in schools since he
tragically lost his son at the age of 12 to cardiac arrest while
swimming at school. The Government has continued to speak with
Mark King and the Foundation throughout the roll out of the
programme.
Last year, the Government committed
to supplying almost 18,000 state-funded schools across England
with these devices to make sure there is one in every school, as
defibrillators drastically increase the likelihood of surviving a
cardiac arrest.
All secondary schools in England now have access to at least two
defibrillators. This will ensure that schools can place their
devices strategically to maximise access and will allow devices
to be placed in areas where an incident may occur, such as sports
facilities.
Pupils are taught how to use the lifesaving defibrillators in
case of cardiac arrest as part of their first aid lessons. The
school curriculum teaches pupils life-saving techniques such as
CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.
Schools Systems Minister said:
We have heard of too many tragic cases where lives were lost
because of a lack of access to this vital equipment at a crucial
moment.
These devices save lives and it’s been a privilege to work with
the Oliver King Foundation to reach this significant milestone
which will give parents, pupils and teachers confidence that they
will never be far from a defibrillator in an emergency.
Founder of the Oliver King Foundation Mark King said:
I am delighted that through years of hard work, determination and
passion we have reached this monumental milestone in raising
awareness and ensuring all schools have access to a life-saving
defibrillator.
With help from the Department for Education and public support
Oliver’s memory lives on. We as a foundation will continue to
strive for change so no other family has to suffer like we did.
Hampstead Norreys CE Primary School in Thatcham received a
defibrillator and said:
Our two schools benefitted from the priority AED delivery from
the DfE.
We currently have a pupil on roll with a serious heart condition.
Following an incident that required paramedic intervention, we
realised that it was vital for us to have an AED in close
proximity.
Having devices on site has put our minds, and that of the pupil’s
family, at rest should the worst happen. We are very grateful for
the rapid response from the DfE and would urge other schools to
get in touch with them if they are in a similar situation.
The new guidance includes advice for schools on how to make their
defibrillator available to the community, should they wish to do
so. The government is also encouraging schools to register their
defibrillator on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network.
This follows the announcement from the Department of Health and
Social Care last year of a £1 million fund to
increase the number of defibrillators in communities most in need
- providing an estimated 1,000 new defibrillators in community
spaces across England.
