A CHRISTCHURCH school is the latest to join a national campaign to have defibrillators available in every primary school.

Burton Church of England Primary School were assisted by cardiac charity, SADS UK, in having the equipment placed in their building, on Campbell Road, for use in emergencies by staff and local residents.

Dean Buckland, head teacher, said: "We want to make sure that as well as all of our first aid training, we provide everything we need to keep children and adults safe.

"It's beneficial not just for us at the school but also for the community to know that we have one, so that if somebody has a cardiac arrest, they have a defibrillator nearby.

"The idea, I believe, is that it can be used by anyone as when you open it up, it has a recorded message to tell the user how to do it, where to place the pads and when to press the button to send the charge.

"Myself and eight members of staff then had over two hours of training by South Western Ambulance Service on how to use it as well as a refresher on CPR."

Burton Church of England Primary School were also provided with leaflets illustrating the warning signs to look for in the case of an emergency for somebody who has an underlying cardiac condition.

Anne Jolly, founder of SADS UK, says that the charity has a campaign, called The Big Shock, which lobbies the government on the need to have a defibrillator in every school.

She said: "We do this because children can be affected by cardiac problems as well. A defibrillator is the only thing that can restore the heart rhythm if it were to stop and so if somebody has a cardiac arrest, the soon that one can be used, the more likely that person is to survive."

Anyone who may wish to request a defibrillator for their school can contact SADS UK by emailing Info@sadsuk.org, visit Sadsuk.org or call 01277 811215.