Students learn life-saving skills

Students at The Ripley Academy learnt how to save a life during an action-packed enrichment day.

Traditional lessons were suspended for the day at the academy as students enjoyed a diverse range of activities.

Staff in the English department dressed up as book characters and students in years seven and eight took part in sessions designed to tie in with World Book Day.

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Year ten students applied for work experience and a group of year 11 students took part in GCSE booster sessions with training company Pet-Xi.

Steve Lees, community resuscitation trainer with East Midlands Ambulance Service, taught students how to perform CPR with a defibrillator and how to spot heart problems early.

He said: “My role is to build their confidence and impress upon them that they can save a life. I’m training them to be lifesavers but as well as the actual technique they also have to learn to respect the patient and the safety of themselves and others.

“One day, it could be their friend or relative who might collapse and hopefully now they would know what to do. Ultimately they are the paramedics of tomorrow.”

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Student Tyler Spencer, 13, said he felt confident in his CPR skills following the session.

He said: “Before I only knew about CPR from what I’d seen on television but there’s actually a lot more to it.

“I definitely feel more confident now and could help if there was an emergency.”

Chris Endacott, assistant principal at The Ripley Academy, said all of the students benefited from enrichment day.

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He said: “It was all about students learning new skills, improving and increasing their knowledge.

“We run activities that will equip our students with real-life skillsfor social development, confidence and career aspirations. Hopefully by the end of the day they learnt something new and felt inspired and re-invigorated for the rest of the school term.”

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