Dartington C of E Academy, which is part of the Learning Academy Partnership, teamed up with the local community Dartington Recreation Association to support the charity Jay’s Aim with the instillation of a lifesaving defibrillator, which is accessible to the whole community.
The pupils took part in a range of exciting fundraising activities during what was known as ‘Superhero Day’, where they dressed up as a wide range of superheroes from the typical Marvel comics to Doctors, Firemen and even Emmeline Pankhurst. The equipment has been installed by the charity Jay’s Aim, which was established in order to help reduce sudden cardiac death among young people in South West England.
In addition to supporting in the installation of this equipment, Jay’s Aim also provides training to young people on how to use the defibrillators. The Year 6 pupils and staff were all given the opportunity to take part in these sessions and to learn all about how the defibrillators work.
Due to the academy’s fantastic efforts, they were thrilled to be able to contribute £251 towards the charity’s efforts to install the lifesaving equipment which has now been installed in the Meadowbrook Centre.
As this was Jay’s Aim’s 100th defibrillator to be installed in the South West, the academy was featured in a BBC Spotlight programme about the fantastic work that the charity has done to install the equipment and in offering training on how to use it safely.
The academy really enjoyed bringing all of the pupils together with the local community in order to support a great cause while also teaching them vital first aid training.
Harlee, one of the Academy pupils, was asked if he thought the life saving lessons were important for him to learn. This is what he said:
“All of our lessons are important to us so that we can learn and grow to be what we want to be, but the life saving lessons help others as well as ourselves. We could save a life or help someone else to if needed.”
Charlotte Huish, Head of Academy at Dartington C of E Academy, said:
“I am really proud of how enthusiastic our pupils were to be learning about first aid and to see them take responsibility over their training.
“At Dartington, we are committed to providing our pupils with the best opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding of the world around them, including about the importance of health and safety. The response of our pupils’ parents and wider community has been extremely humbling as we have received wide-spread support for our staff being trained to use such a vital piece of equipment.”
