Throughout the day on Tuesday, 31 January, with the help of British Heart Foundation training kits and mannequins, more than 260 pupils aged 11 to 18 (Years 7 to 13) will be taught vital CPR skills, and the three simple steps that could help save a life:

• CALL 999 immediately
• PUSH hard and fast on the centre of the chest 30 times
• Give two RESCUE breaths

and to keep going until the emergency medical services arrive.

Fiona Stanford, Registered Nurse at Rendcomb College who arranged the event said: “Taking part in this national initiative is an exciting prospect. In doing so we aim to give our pupils the confidence to save lives in an emergency situation.”

She continued: “If other senior schools across the UK take this on then survival rates from a cardiac arrest outside the hospital environment could increase from 10% to 25%; this would equal the statistics from Norway where every school child receives CPR training.”

The team of Registered Nurses at Rendcomb College, along with First Aid trained Sixth Form students, will teach pupils the lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills which will help double the chances of survival for someone in cardiac arrest.

The British Heart Foundation’s initiative is to create a nation of lifesavers by giving this training to schools, workplaces and community groups across the UK.

Every year, over 30,000 people in the UK suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital; that’s 30,000 opportunities to help save a life. Cardiac arrests are often witnessed by family members or friends. Without help, the person will die within minutes but effective and immediate CPR can help double the chance of survival in some cases.