All schools now have at least one of the portable machines (Picture: Getty)
All state secondary schools in England will now have access to a potentially life-saving defibrillator, the government has said.
A defibrillator shocks a person’s heart back to life if it suddenly stops beating, such as during a cardiac arrest.
And minutes count when resuscitating someone. For every one-minute delay, the likelihood of survival plummets by up to 10%.
Education officials promised last year to have a defibrillator, also sometimes called an automated external defibrillator (AED), in every school.
A year on, the government says it has delivered 5,435 defibrillators to 3,066 secondary schools.
Every state-funded secondary school has access to at least two of the portable machines.
Many are expected to be placed near school sports facilities.
Minute delays in resituating someone with a defibrillator can be life-threatening, studies show (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Department for Education said the rollout is ‘well underway for primary and special schools, set to be finished by the end of the summer term.
Pupils will be taught in first aid classes how to use them, with CPR techniques also on the curriculum.
The move came after education officials met with members of the Oliver King Foundation, which campaigns for better access to defibrillators.
The group was set up by Mark King, whose 12-year-old son Olivier suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while competing in a swimming race in 2011.
The youngster died when his heart stopped beating during a swimming lesson at King David High School in Liverpool.
He had been living with an undiagnosed heart condition called sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, which kills as many as 270 children in school a year, activists say.
King, who found support in ex-footballer Jamie Carragher, worked with the government and the British Heart Foundation for the rollout.
Campaigners have long called for defibrillators to be installed in schools (Picture: Getty Images)
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.’
New guidance will soon be issued for how schools can make their defibrillator available to the community.
Schools systems minister Baroness Barran added: ‘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.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
‘These devices save lives.’