Mark Drakeford AM, First Minister, has refused to make cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) a compulsory part of the new curriculum. This was his response to scrutiny by Janet Finch-Saunders, Shadow Minister for Children and Young People, when she championed CPR and raised concerns about the “cardiac catastrophe” the Welsh Government is creating in Wales.
After this week’s questions to the First Minister, Janet said:
“I appreciate the First Minister’s concern that should he give in to one request for an exception to the rule in which the new curriculum is constructed, there could be a flurry of further subject requests. However, is there anything more important than being taught how to save a life?
“According to the British Heart Foundation, nearly one in four could survive if all young people were trained.
“Every local authority in Scotland has committed to teaching CPR.
“Children in England will be taught CPR and other lifesaving skills from September 2020.
“Yet here in Wales the Welsh Government refuses to make CPR training a compulsory part of the new curriculum.
“This really is a cardiac catastrophe and already makes me wonder whether the new curriculum is going to be the best way forward for children in Wales”.
Notes:
Questions to the First Minister: Teaching Basic First Aid in Schools
Compulsory CPR lessons rejected for schools in Wales
