TEACHING life-saving CPR in school is, “easy to deliver,” and has been heartily embraced by pupils, parents and staff, according to a Glasgow secondary.

Modern Studies teacher Jennifer Lake Woodside heads up the life-saving training at Hyndland Secondary, in the city’s West End, which has now been delivered to all of S2 and some of third year, reaching almost 300 pupils so far.

One 14-year-old girl said the lessons had left her confident, she could, “save a life any second.”

Last week, Glasgow City Council pledged to become the first local authority in the UK to work towards an educational policy which will ensures ALL pupils leave school with CPR skills, following a pressure campaign by the Evening Times.

We are now calling on every other Scottish local authority to agree to do the same so we can build a nation of young lifesavers and our aim has been backed by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Read more: Aberdeen joins Glasgow in life-saving CPR pledge 

Aberdeen City Council has now vowed to take forward its own plan and other local authorities have said they are ‘interested’ including East Renfrewshire, Falkirk and Angus councils.

Glasgow has the highest rate of cardiac arrests in Scotland and survival rates in Scotland lag behind the rest of the UK. Only one in 20 patients will live without bystander CPR.

In Denmark, survival rates have tripled due to a range of measures including compulsory training in the country’s schools.

Jennifer Lake, who teaches Modern Studies at Hyndland Secondary is passionate about the benefits of teaching CPR and other first-aid skills to pupils saying it gives them an enormous, sense of achievement as well as being interesting and fun to learn.

Pupils are taught in smaller groups,so they can benefit from one-to-one guidance while practising on British Heart Foundation manikins. The charity has pledged to equip all schools in Scotland with a £1300 kit.

Read more: First Minister hails plan to create a city of lifesavers

She said: “We trained 15 staff (with the help of NHS staff) and did it over a day. We cover the whole Heart Start programme, which also covers choking, bleeding and the use of defibrillators. The feedback has been really positive.

“It takes between three and four periods to deliver the course and it’s such a great thing.

“We trained 15 staff (with the help of NHS staff) and did it over a day. We cover the whole Heart Start programme, which also covers choking, bleeding and the use of defibrillators. The feedback has been really positive.

"It is something different that is achievable for all pupils, increases confidence, team work and provides pupils with a useful life skill that really can make a difference while having fun. "

Our bid to see every pupil in Scotland leave school a life-saver fits in with a Scottish Government target to train an extra 500,000 people in life-saving CPR by 2020.

Read more: Poll shows Scots back mandatory CPR lessons in schools

Eliza Kidd, 14, a third year pupil at Hyndland Secondary, said: “I took part in the Heartstart course as part of the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award.

“We worked with our friends in small groups, practising on dummies and it was really fun and felt very important and now when I’m in everyday situations I can think, I’m confident, I could save a life any second.”

Rhona McDonald, 15, a second year pupil, said she felt like she had, “learning something important and added: “It was really interesting.

“If I saw someone collapsed, I’d definitely give it a go.”

Catriona Ferguson, 14, said: “I thought it was really helpful. We watched videos on how to do it and then they went through it step by step. It was all quite straightforward.”

Fionntan McCaughey, 14, said: “It was really useful and a great learning experience. We learned multiple things, we learned the recovery position, we learned about what to do if someone is bleeding as well as CPR.

“It was really great experience.”

Estelle Woodrowe, 14, said: “You never know when something could happen.”

Ciagh Takahashi, 14, said: “It’s a break from the norm of what we do in school and a useful skill to learn. It gives you a confidence.”