OUR Heartstart lesson proved timely when a teacher ended up putting theory into practice just hours afterwards.
All Year 9 students complete a three-week course run by Community First Responders and first aid trained staff.
Maths teacher Miss Barber, who also sat in on the course, found the lesson extremely useful when a man collapsed on a train hours later and she put him into the recovery position and cleared his airway before an inspector arrived and summoned an ambulance.
She said: “I instinctively knew what to do because of the lessons in school. A week later, I was travelling to London and a man had a fit on the train and no one seemed to know what to do. I knew to keep his head safe and wait for the fit to subside before putting him in the recovery position.”
Pastoral Manager Ms Bibby organised the Personal Social and Health Education lessons. She said: “The first and third lessons are practical and the students learn about the recovery position and about CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation and what to do when someone stops breathing.
“In the second week they learn how to deal with serious bleeding and knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
“The students have been great and a number of the staff who have been present have asked for further training in first aid.”
The school also reinforces the message with additional lessons in Year 11 as part of Health and Social studies.