Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of automatic external defibrillators in schools; and what steps she is taking to ensure the success of the rollout of those defibrillators in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

On 17 July 2022, the Department announced that it will be providing automated external defibrillators to schools in England. The programme will ensure that all schools that need a defibrillator will be provided with at least one, or more for larger schools. More information on the announcement is available here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/07/17/how-we-are-ensuring-all-schools-have-lifesaving-defibrillators/.

In September 2022, the Department sent a survey to all state-funded schools in England to identify which schools already have defibrillators. The responses from the survey have been used to establish how many devices are needed.

The outcome of the procurement, including the model of defibrillator that will be supplied to schools, will be published in December 2022. The rollout of devices is expected to start shortly and is planned to be completed by the end of the 2022/23 academic year.