Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposal to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in schools will include academies and free schools.

The government is making health education compulsory in all state funded schools in England, alongside making relationship education compulsory for all primary schools and relationships and sex education compulsory for all secondary schools from 2020, with voluntary teaching beginning from 2019.

Health education gives us the opportunity to drive up the consistency and quality of pupils’ mental wellbeing and physical health knowledge by delivering clear content through evidence-based teaching.

It is under these proposals that for the first time schools, including academies and free schools, will be required to teach first aid and life-saving skills. By the end of secondary school, pupils will be taught how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the purpose of defibrillators, and basic treatment for common injuries. Learning these skills will help young people support someone in their time of need and develop skills they need to flourish in the modern world.