Julia Lopez MP is delighted by the announcement that a school in her constituency, Olive AP Academy Havering, is due to receive one of the first defibrillators provided by the Department for Education as part of their defibrillator programme.

This is the largest ever distribution of defibrillators to be rolled out across England and is part of the Government’s pledge to ensure every state-funded school has access to this life saving first-aid equipment by the end of the academic year.

The introduction of this programme is due to the Department for Education’s work with the Oliver King Foundation, as well as other leading charities, to revise current guidance which will give schools the tools and knowledge they need to use their new defibrillators.

Furthermore, secondary schools receiving two or more defibrillators will be provided with an internal cabinet so they can locate one in their sports facility. With cardiac arrest being more likely to occur during sporting activities and having heard from constituents who have lost children to sudden cardiac related illnesses, Julia hopes that ready access to this equipment could help to avoid such tragedies in the future.

Primary schools, special schools and alternative provision settings, such as Olive Academy, will also be offered an external heated cabinet as part of the programme, helping to boost the availability of defibrillators in local communities where they are not readily accessible.