West Jesmond Primary School (WJPS) has fitted a £1,000 defibrillator near its main office, thanks largely to funds raised by parents and their Friends of WJPS group.

According to Lucy Oades, the school’s enterprise and raising aspirations co-ordinator, WJPS plans to cover yearly maintenance costs using the remainder of the funds raised.

She said 14 members of staff have already been trained to use the defibrillator, with more due to be trained.

WJPS purchased the defibrillator through the Aero Healthcare defibrillator schools programme. “The scheme enabled us to save money and purchase a better model with a longer warranty,” explained Oades. “Aero recommended a paediatric-friendly machine that is suitable for use in schools.”  

Around 270 children die of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) at school each year, according to the UK Resucitation Council. The likelihood of surviving SCA decreases by 10% with every minute that passes without defibrillation. The chance of surviving SCA increases by 90% if defibrillation happens within one minute of SCA and 70% within three minutes. 

“There was an incident involving SCA at a school in Gosforth in 2018 and WJPS felt it was important that we purchased a defibrillator, in case we ever have a similar incident. SCA can affect anyone,” said Oades. 

Nichola Parody is a WJPS parent who worked as a mental health nurse for 11 years. “We had to have regular defibrillator training and it was part of my role to train our new nurses and healthcare assistants on our defibrillator,” said Parody. 

“It’s great to see a defibrillator being fitted in the school. I think it should make any parent feel safer. Defibrillators are safe, even for use by the general public. The instructions are usually very clear and the machine will actually talk to give guidance about placing the electrodes in the correct area,” said Parody. 

Jesmond’s Royal Grammar School (RGS) has three onsite defibrillators. There is a defibrillator in the junior school, in the main reception and in its performing arts centre. 

Dr Mike Pitkethley, clerk to governors and the bursar at RGS, told JesmondLocal that the school’s defibrillators and their maintenance are “largely self-funded”.

Pitkethley said that defibrillator training is part of general first aid training at RGS. “Around one third of staff have direct training in how to use the defibrillators,” he said. “I have been at RGS for four years and we have not had to use a defibrillator during this time. However, they definitely help to create a safer school environment.”

The government offers a free guide to explain how schools can buy, install and maintain a defibrillator.