State-funded schools across England will receive defibrillators under new government plans to make sure there is a device in every school, boosting their numbers in communities across the country.

Defibrillators have the potential to save the lives of pupils, staff and visitors in schools, with latest research showing that accessing these devices within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%.

The announcement comes after the government first committed last year to look at how to achieve a defibrillator on every school site, following a meeting with the Oliver King Foundation, supported by ex-footballer Jamie Carragher, which has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this issue.

Since meeting with the foundation’s founder Mark King, who tragically lost his son Oliver at the age of 12 to a cardiac arrest, the government has worked with charities and experts, including the British Heart Foundation, to identify the scale of need across English schools.

A survey will soon go out to all state-funded schools to finalise the number of devices that will need to be procured, which is estimated to be over 20,000. The government has committed to funding all necessary devices so that every school has at least one on-site, or more for schools with larger sites.

The rollout will build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary school pupils being taught life-saving methods such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. This rollout will help protect schools and their local communities against cardiac arrest, delivering wider access to these devices.

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.

Mark King, Founder of the Oliver King Foundation 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.

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.

Jamie Carragher, supporter of the Oliver King Foundation said:

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.

Many schools already have defibrillators on-site. The purpose of this programme is to plug the gaps, giving more schools and local communities access to this vitally important first-aid equipment.

It will aim to ensure that all state-funded schools in England have at least one device on site, with more devices delivered to larger schools.

The defibrillators will protect pupils, staff and visitors to the schools, including local communities who use school facilities. For example, this could mean football teams who hire school pitches would be protected, as well as keeping pupils safe during the school day.

Schools will shortly be sent a survey to identify which already have defibrillators, with the responses being used to establish how many devices are needed.

Further details of the rollout and device specification will be confirmed in the autumn term.

The Government currently encourages schools to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) on their premises as part of their first aid equipment. AEDs are currently available for schools and other education providers in the UK to purchase through the NHS Supply Chain at a reduced cost. These arrangements are available to all UK schools, including academies and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, FE institutions and early years settings (including holiday and out-of-school providers).

The Government has produced guidance for schools on buying, installing and using an AED, which can be viewed here.

Iliana Ramirez was born and raised in Mexico City, where she lived under extreme poverty in an area next to the city’s landfill. The severity of her family’s economic situation was such that they did not count with running water nor a toilet, and had to gather the end-of-the-day leftover produce from the market to subsist.

Notwithstanding this, Iliana never doubted that she would study a professional career as her mother taught her about the importance of education since being a young child, and hence, she went on to study a career in computer engineering from Mexico’s National University. One of Iliana’s main motivation to study computer engineering was hearing in a generalised way that women do not study technical careers.

After completing her career, Iliana worked in the Bank of Mexico where she formed part of the team that came up with the first technological development to transfer funds electronically between banking institutions. There, her colleagues motivated her to apply for the Chevening scholarship, and hence she travelled to the UK to study her Master’s degree at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, in 1998.

Studying in the UK was a dream for Iliana, not only because of her desire to continue her academic development in the country that was at the forefront of software and computing advancements, but also because of the opportunity that represented studying overseas and coming back to Mexico to apply her knowledge.

One of the most profound lessons that Iliana shares from her time in the UK was understanding about the importance given to values such as equality, inclusion and diversity. Having been treated with equality inside and outside of the classroom, without regard of her gender, socioeconomic condition, or physical appearance was an experience that marked her for life, and as she tells it, a beautiful lesson of dignity and humanism.

Iliana’s newly acquired knowledge catapulted her professionally upon coming back to Mexico, as she went from being a software developer to becoming leader for the implementation of the enterprise management system in the Bank of Mexico. Iliana now collaborates with teams of universities such as the MIT, the University of Colorado and other international teams, with the objective of developing the human capital in information technology that the state of Nuevo Leon and the country require.

For instance, through the programme Patrones Hermosos (or Beautiful Patterns), which she led until 2019 and is implemented jointly with Monterrey’s Tech and the MIT, girls between ages 12 and 17 can develop their skills by using curricular materials from MIT that have been adapted to a Mexican context. This programme has had such success that it has taken place in 24 states (out of 32) across Mexico and 1600 girls have participate in it.

Iliana also organises free summer camps for boys and girls to teach advanced subjects on information technology where 200 to 300 participants attend every year. This year (2002) the programme has extended to more than 500 participants, covering several countries in Latin America such as Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador and Guatemala.

There are also software development trainings for young men and women which include a personalised service to match their abilities with the required skills necessary to ensure a place in the recruitment process of potential employers. In summary, the programmes and projects that have taken place from 2014 to 2022, thanks to Iliana’s leadership, have positively impacted 15 thousand girls and young men and women, from which 8600 are women.

Today Iliana continues to prioritise that these programmes that benefit women, girls and vulnerable groups keep expanding to other regions of Mexico and Latin America, focusing in achieving a differentiated impact in the most marginalised regions.

Studying in the United Kingdom, in the University of Manchester, in the same school as 25 Nobel laureates, made me realise that the limits created by ignorance, poverty, violence, and intolerance, may be torn down through the gift of education and good role models.

That just as the Chevening scholarship gave me the gift of living a radically different life for one year than the one I was accustomed, that everyone has an obligation to give opportunities to whom do not have them or do not see them, by teaching and offering time, mentorship, helping to eliminate the frontiers and paradigms that hinder creating plentiful, pacific and productive societies.