MORE than three-quarters of parents in Wales want to see their children taught first aid and lifesaving skills in school as part of the curriculum.

A survey, commissioned by the British Red Cross and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru, saw 79 per cent of parents agreeing with charity St John Cymru that first aid should be compulsory as part of the school curriculum from 2022.

All but one of 35 teachers surveyed also agreed that first aid and lifesaving skills should be part of the curriculum in Wales.

The parents surveyed believe it is more beneficial for children to learn first aid and lifesaving skills than to learn about puberty, diet, nutrition, substance and alcohol abuse and physical education.

More than half of parents surveyed said that their children were unaware of what to do in an emergency that requires first aid.

And 59 per cent of the children were described as having “very poor” or “fairly poor” knowledge of first aid.

A new curriculum will be introduced in Wales in 2022, and the Welsh Government is asking the people to have their say in what should be included.

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“The new school curriculum in Wales is a once in a generation chance for us to create a nation of life savers," said Dafydd Beech, education manager for the British Red Cross in Wales.

“We teach thousands of young people every year, but we know that there are many, many more who lack the basic skills, knowledge and confidence to step in and save a life.

“Parents and teachers want to see first aid taught in schools, so we urge as many people as possible to support our campaign.

"The latest poll demonstrates the urgent need to increase the number of people with first aid skills in Wales but also shows that parents, teachers and pupils are very much in favour of ensuring first aid is included on the curriculum.”

“We are working with our partners and calling on members of the public to support our campaign by sharing feedback via our website. We hope this persuades the Welsh Government to ensure the next generation of life savers."

Adam Fletcher, head of BHF Cymru, said: “Lifesaving skills are essential and easy to build in to other lessons. We believe all secondary school children should be given the opportunity to learn lifesaving skills to significantly improve survival rates and to avoid inequalities between communities by ensuring there are lifesavers in every street and every workplace.

“Just an hour of learning lifesaving skills could make a real difference. Hundreds more lives could be saved across Wales each year.”