Every state school in England will have a defibrillator by the end of the next academic year, the government has announced.
It comes after a decade-long campaign led by Mark King, whose 12-year-old son Oliver suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while competing in a swimming race in Liverpool in 2011.
Mr King, who set up the Oliver King Foundation in memory of his son, has been working with former England footballer Jamie Carragher to push for mandatory defibrillators in all schools.
Research shows that accessing a defibrillator within three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%.
The government, which has been working with charities such as the British Heart Foundation to identify the scale of need across all English state-funded schools, has now committed to funding at least one defibrillator in every school – with more for larger campuses.
The number of devices is estimated at more than 20,000 and the first deliveries are expected to begin before Christmas.
Mr King said: “It’s been 11 years since we tragically lost our Ollie to a sudden cardiac arrest while he was taking part in a school swimming lesson. If there had been a defibrillator on site, our son would still be alive today.
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“Since 2012 we’ve fought with tenacity to make defibrillators mandatory in all schools.
“I’m therefore delighted that, after our decade-long fight, the Government has finally listened and schools will now be equipped with them.
“It will mean families up and down the country won’t ever have to go through the pain that we did when we lost our Ollie.
“I am thankful to the MPs and ministers who’ve supported our campaign and particularly all of those at the Department for Education.”
Young lives will not be ‘needlessly lost’
Carragher added: “This is fantastic news and is testament to the relentless and unwavering campaigning of Mark and Joanne King who’ve fought so hard for this moment.
“They are an inspirational couple who, supported by a small team, have spent more than 10 years fighting for defibrillators in schools so that young lives are not needlessly lost.
“I am proud to have played a small part in supporting them and I am delighted that the government has committed to installing this lifesaving kit in all schools.”
The Department for Education said the rollout would build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary pupils taught life-saving methods such as CPR and why defibrillators work.
‘Every school will have on-site access’
Education Secretary James Cleverly said: “Access to funding must not stand in the way of every school having on-site access to a life-saving defibrillator.
“The evidence clearly shows that defibrillators drastically increase the chance of survival from a cardiac arrest, and it’s particularly important that they are available close to sports halls and playing fields that children, young people, and the wider community use on a daily basis.
“That is why I am so pleased to be able to roll these devices out to schools across the country over the coming year, and I hope this goes some way to preventing more tragic stories like Oliver King’s.”
