Cyflwynwyd yr ymateb hwn i ymchwiliad y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg i weithredu diwygiadau addysg

This response was submitted to the Children, Young People and Education Committee inquiry into Implementation of education reforms

IER 44

Ymateb gan: British Heart Foundation

Response from: British Heart Foundation

Nodwch eich barn mewn perthynas â chylch gorchwyl yr ymchwiliad. | Record your views against the inquiry’s terms of reference. 

Our response refers to implementation of the new Curriculum in Wales for secondary schools and the inclusion of CPR on the Curriculum.  There are around 2,800 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in Wales each year, and just 1 in 20 survive.

In our response to the inquiry into the Implementation of education reforms, British Heart Foundation Cymru campaigned for the need for CPR and lifesaving skills to be a compulsory part of the Welsh Curriculum for secondary schools. Our response can be found here and we are delighted that the then Minister, Kirsty Williams, on behalf of the Welsh Government, strengthened the wording of the statutory guidance to make CPR a compulsory part of the curriculum.

With the strengthened statutory guidance, we also recommend that Estyn examines implementation of CPR and life-saving skills as part of their monitoring and evaluation framework of secondary schools in Wales. This should include proficiency in CPR amongst students and teachers, taking into account their own feedback and views about teaching and learning CPR and life-saving skills. The collection of data in CPR training delivery, participation rates, and student feedback are important to understanding the overall picture of implementation in schools.

BHF launched the Classroom RevivR tool in September 2023 makes the learning of CPR within the classroom environment easy and convenient. It has been designed in a way that allows CPR and defibrillator training to be taught in one lesson plan, accommodating teachers’ busy workloads. Further information on Classroom RevivR is available here on our website and we recommend that schools are made aware of the App which is available in English and Welsh.

At BHF, we are keen to understand how CPR and life-saving skills is being implemented in schools as part of the new curriculum in Wales and welcome further opportunities to support implementation of the statutory guidance.