All state schools in England now have access to a potentially lifesaving defibrillator, the Government has confirmed.
More than 20,000 defibrillators – which are devices that give an electric shock to the heart of a person who is in cardiac arrest – have been delivered to state schools across the country since January.
In July last year, the Government pledged that every state school in England would receive a machine by the end of the 2022/23 academic year.
It came after campaigning by Mark King whose 12-year-old son Oliver suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at school during a swimming lesson in 2011.
Mr King, who set up the Oliver King Foundation, and former England footballer Jamie Carragher have been pushing for mandatory defibrillators in all schools.
A total of 20,376 defibrillators have been delivered to 17,862 state schools in England, backed by £19 million of Government funding.
Large schools have been provided with two or more defibrillators so they can be placed in areas where a cardiac arrest is more likely, such as sports halls.
The Department for Education (DfE) has said millions of children in England now have access to these devices, which it said drastically increase the chance of pupils and teachers surviving a cardiac arrest.
Secondary school pupils are also being taught lifesaving methods, such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators, it added.
