We believe everyone can learn CPR. It’s not just for grown ups.
Save a Life for Scotland is committed to providing people living in Scotland with the opportunity to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR and empower them to realise that they have the power to save a life in their hands. We want everyone in Scotland to feel able to say ‘I’ll do it’ should they ever find themselves in a position where someone is having a cardiac arrest and needs help.
We are a national campaign launched in October 2015 with the aim of equipping 1,000,000 people living in Scotland with the lifesaving skill of CPR by 2026. We are a large and unique group of partners and supporters, a one of its kind. Everyone involved is 100% committed to helping others learn CPR and supporting communities at a local level
Our partners include:
Primary schools
We believe that everyone can learn CPR. Even little ones can learn to call for help, ask an adult to start CPR and direct them what to do. We believe that learning CPR should start with Primary 1 and if you’re wondering if they could understand the message then watch the video.
Partner Programmes
There are a few approaches you can take to helping your kids learn CPR. Partners may have primary schools projects running in your area so contact us hello@savealife.scot to find out.
Alternative resources
Where no formal local programmes exist, we can work with and support teaching staff to help them deliver CPR sessions to their classes at a time that suits. We can provide you with a selection of videos, activities and resources.
School events
Get your whole school CPR ready in a day and make it an event! We can work with teachers and staff in schools or leaders in youth groups to plan a whole school or group CPR day and enlist support from our partners local to you.
Preston Street Primary, Edinburgh
This is a primary school of 271 pupils. Members of our partner and supporter groups spent a day at the school teaching CPR, class by class. We set up in the main hall, kids brought their teddies to practice on, each session took 30 minutes, and by the end of the day, everyone had learned CPR. The kids also had the opportunity to meet our partners on the day who included, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, The Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Lothian Emergency Department, Basics Scotland and the Resuscitation Research Group.
Westquarter Primary School, Falkirk
Driven by the teachers, this school have self taught themselves in CPR, class by class. EVERY child and teacher in this school is now equipped with the lifesaving skill of CPR, and here’s the bigger picture. Then they invited family and friends to the school on a Friday afternoon and the children taught the adults CPR. Now that’s something really special!
We supported them with equipment and a few vehicles with flashing lights!
Secondary schools
So many of our partners are currently working in Secondary Schools either through the Heartstart Course, Lucky 2 B Here, Royal Life Saving Society, St. Andrew’s First Aid or using resources from Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the British Red Cross. There are so many options and we can help you find your best local support.
If you require any kit, EVERY fire station in Scotland holds CPR equipment gifted from the British Heart Foundation – feel free to get in touch with them to borrow the kit. The Scottish Ambulance Service can help with equipment too, so you won’t be stuck.
So how can you get your pupils CPR ready?
Heartstart courses are available in some local authority areas of Scotland so we can easily link you up. Lucky 2 B Here and The Royal Life Saving Society also are able to support in specific localities. You may work in a local authority area where they are putting learning CPR in schools high on the agenda and we can link you in with their local coordinator to get started.
However, if there are no active courses local to you we can help. Using our partner group we can help your staff and pupils learn CPR. Secondary schools are often larger and take a little more organisation than primary schools but the benefits are huge to all. By equipping all pupils with CPR skills we can then support senior pupils to learn how to teach younger years. Increasing their skills will help you have a school which can support CPR sessions year on year with new pupil intake, making CPR in your school sustainable.
The Community School of Auchterarder
We supported the Community School of Auchterarder to teach over 500 pupils in one day. Organised by the schools Janitor, a Community First Responder, over 20 of our partners came to support this entire school to learn CPR. Watch the video to learn how the day went. You can also read coverage by the BBC of the day here.
