Students will be learning CPR on Wednesday 16 October 2024 as part of World Restart a Heart Day. CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation which is used to try to revive a person after a sudden cardiac arrest.

CPR is now part of the health education curriculum for secondary school pupils aged 12 and over in England. The lesson will be taught sensitively by staff and volunteers from Yorkshire Ambulance Service which has provided the life-saving training to more than 202,000 young people since it started its Restart a Heart campaign in 2014.

The lesson will include how to identify whether someone is in cardiac arrest (has collapsed and stopped breathing normally) and how to perform hands-only chest compressions to give the person their best chance of survival before the arrival of an ambulance.

As 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, you can be reassured that they will be learning skills that may one day help someone close to them.

Your child may have questions about some of the related topics and themes that will be explored at school, and we would encourage further discussion at home wherever possible. For more information, we would recommend visiting the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Restart a Heart website at https://restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk/.

You may also want to visit the Resuscitation Council UK Lifesaver website as a family at www.lifesaver.org.uk. Lifesaver offers a stimulating and interactive way for people of all ages to learn CPR. Lifesaver has a scenario specifically designed for young people to learn effective resuscitation techniques and build their confidence to be able to use these skills in an emergency.