All public schools in England will have a defibrillator at the end of the 2022/23 school year, the government has announced.
Department of Education (DfE) officials met with activists such as Mark King, whose son Oliver, 12, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while competing in a swimming race in 2011.
King and former England footballer Jamie Carragher have been working together to push compulsory defibrillators in all schools.
Research shows that accessing a defibrillator between three and five minutes after a cardiac arrest increases the chances of survival by more than 40%.
Since meeting King, who set up the Oliver King Foundation in memory of his son, the government has worked with charities such as the British Heart Foundation to identify the scale of needs in schools in England.
State-funded schools will be surveyed to assess the number of devices needed to ensure everyone has access to them, with an estimated figure of more than 20,000 in total.
The government has pledged to fund at least one defibrillator at each school, with more for larger campuses. The first deliveries are expected to start before Christmas.
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The DfE said the deployment would be based on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with high school students teaching rescue methods such as CPR and why defibrillators work.
Education Secretary James Cleverly said: “Access to funding should not hinder all schools from having on-site access to a life-saving defibrillator.
“Evidence clearly shows that defibrillators dramatically increase the chances of survival from cardiac arrest, and it is especially important that they are available near sports halls and playgrounds that children, youth and the community at large they use daily.
“That’s why I’m so happy to be able to launch these devices in schools across the country over the next year, and I hope this serves to avoid more tragic stories like Oliver King’s.”
King said: “It’s been 11 years since we tragically lost our Ollie due to a sudden cardiac arrest while taking part in a swimming lesson at school. If there had been a defibrillator on site, our son would still be alive.
“Since 2012 we have been fighting tenaciously to make defibrillators compulsory in all schools. So I am delighted that, after our decade-long struggle, the government has finally heard it and now the schools are equipped with them.
“He said that families up and down the country will never have to go through the pain we did when we lost our Ollie. I am grateful to the parliamentarians and ministers who have supported our campaign and in particular to everyone in the Department. of Education “.
Carragher said: “This is fantastic news and is a testament to the relentless and unwavering campaign of Mark and Joanne King who have fought so hard so far.
“They are an inspiring couple who, with the support of a small team, have been fighting for defibrillators in schools for more than 10 years so that young lives are not lost unnecessarily. I am proud to have played a small role in supporting them and I am delighted that the government has committed to installing this rescue kit in all schools. “
The government said many schools would already have defibrillators in place, but that the program would work to “plug the gaps” and ensure all public schools had at least one device.
The equipment could also be used by any external sports team using the school facilities.