London Lifesavers Schools Programme
London Ambulance Service is aiming to train thousands of schoolchildren how to save a life as part of an ambitious campaign to create a generation of lifesavers.
Our want to improve out of hospital cardiac arrest survival by equipping Londoners with the skills, knowledge and confidence to act in the vital few minutes before an ambulance arrives.
About the schools programme (for Year 8 pupils)
Our London Lifesavers Schools Programme aims to teach students the simple steps to follow when someone is in cardiac arrest and have the confidence to act quickly to help save lives.
To help us achieve our aim, we are providing CPR and defibrillator training free of charge to all Year 8 students across the capital. Educating and empowering these students to recognise and know what to do when someone is in cardiac arrest will help save lives.
Our training
Our clinician-led training package works around your school day.
- Maximum 60 students per session
- Student to trainer ratio 6:1
- Session length approximately 35 minutes
What teachers are saying
“In just one short session, our students learned the skills needed to save a life. The trainers from London Ambulance Service were excellent and have created a fun, engaging and informative lesson which had our children captivated from start to finish. It’s very much a “hands on” experience which means our Year 8s got lots of practice in giving chest compressions and using a defibrillator. I’m very proud our school is part of the London Lifesavers programme, which aims to create a new generation of lifesavers.”
Bernie Boyle, Headteacher, Bishop Thomas Grant School, Streatham
How we prioritise the enrolment of schools
Using cardiac and demographic data, we have identified the London boroughs where we feel this training will have the most impact and where we should therefore target first.
Please refer to the table below which shows the London borough priority waves for the enrolment and training date information regarding your school. Schools in each wave will receive an email invitation to enrol for this training from London Ambulance Service.
There are limited spaces so please enrol early to avoid disappointment.
Wave 1 (completed): Brent, Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Newham, Redbridge (no spaces left)
Wave 2 (completed): Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Lewisham, Merton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest (no spaces left)
Wave 3 – starts in May 2024, training delivered between September and December 2024: Barnet, Croydon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Sutton (no spaces left)
Wave 4 – starts in September 2024, training delivered between January and April 2025: Bromley, Camden, Greenwich, Kingston Upon Thames, Lambeth, Westminster (20 spaces available)
Wave 5 – starts in January 2025, training delivered between May and July 2025: Bexley, City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Richmond Upon Thames, Wandsworth (20 spaces available)
Course content
- What is a cardiac arrest?
- Chain of survival
- How to recognise someone in cardiac arrest
- How to treat someone in cardiac arrest
- How to use a defibrillator
Download our prospectus to learn more about what this course offers your pupils.
Example day
- Session 1: 09:15 – 09:50
- Session 2: 10:00 – 10:35
- BREAK: 10:35 – 10:55
- Session 3: 11:00 – 11:35
- Session 4: 11:45 – 12:25
- LUNCH: 12:35 – 13:20
- Session 5: 13:30 – 14:05
School staff can join in too!
Get in touch
Get in touch with our team if you have any questions about the London Lifesavers Schools Programme and how your school can get involved.
Samantha Palfreyman-Jones, Head of First Responders at LAS, says:
“We know that by teaching life-saving skills in schools and giving children the confidence to use a defibrillator, more lives will be saved in those crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives.
Our partnership with schools is game changing because it will not only help us train hundreds of people every day, but also engage with new communities.
Most cardiac arrests happen in the home, so we are telling children that by learning these simple skills, they could save someone they love”
About the campaign
We’re aiming to make London a city of lifesavers by running life-saving training for communities, organisations and schools.
Free training events
We run free drop-in events in public locations around London where you can learn to save a life in five minutes.
London Heartstarters
Support our campaign to fund life-saving defibrillators and CPR training in the communities where it’s most needed.
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