British Heart Foundation launches free CPR training tool ‘Classroom RevivR’ for UK secondary school students

The BHF’s innovative Classroom RevivR program, made possible by Royal Mail’s support, offers quick and accessible CPR and defibrillator training to 11-16-year-olds using just a mobile device and a cushion, helping create a new generation of CPR superheroes

Classroom RevivR is the BHF’s new game-changing interactive tool that makes it easy for pupils to learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator in the classroom. It’s PSHE-accredited, meets curriculum standards and can be taught in one easy lesson plan – minimising teachers’ workload.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation after a cardiac arrest can reduce the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

There is no need for an external trainer or lots of specialist equipment and Classroom RevivR has been designed with busy teachers in mind. All pupils need is a mobile device and something to perform compressions on, like a cushion. And the best part is – it’s completely free to use. Teachers will run the class as pupils follow the simple steps, and in 45 minutes, they’ll have created CPR superheroes.

Working together, young people will learn the importance of CPR, how to recognise a cardiac arrest, what to expect when calling 999, how to perform CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

Thanks to innovative technology, Classroom RevivR also gives pupils live feedback as they practise chest compressions – helping them to find the right rhythm and learn CPR correctly.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The launch of Classroom RevivR today will set children up with an invaluable lifesaving skill at an early age. A cardiac arrest can affect anyone, at any time, so we want as many people to learn CPR as possible.

“Tragically, of the 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that happen across the UK every year less than one in ten people will survive. We are determined to change this by giving everyone the opportunity to learn CPR. By equipping our young people today with these lifesaving skills, more lives could be saved in the future.”

Greg Sage, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs & ESG at Royal Mail, said “We are very proud that the fundraising efforts of our colleagues across the country will help support the Classroom RevivR CPR tool. Educating and training secondary school-aged children on this vital life-saving skill could potentially, one day, help save someone’s life.”

Classroom RevivR builds on the charity’s online CPR training tool RevivR. RevivR launched in 2022 and teaches individuals how to recognise a cardiac arrest, gives feedback on chest compressions and outlines the correct steps of defibrillator use, giving anyone the confidence to step in and save a life in the event of the ultimate medical emergency. 70,000 people have learnt CPR through RevivR since its launch. All you need is a phone and a cushion.

The BHF has successfully run its Call Push Rescue programme over a number of years, with large numbers of schools using it to teach lifesaving CPR. The charity also played a crucial role in ensuring CPR is a mandatory part of the school curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and is taught in secondary schools in all local authorities of Scotland. Classroom RevivR is the BHF’s innovative next step in providing CPR training to schools.

Immediate CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival – yet surveys suggest that a third of adults across the country have never undertaken any form of CPR training. The BHF is urging everyone to learn lifesaving CPR and give someone the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest.