EVERY state secondary school in Harlow now has access to life-saving equipment with the introduction of defibrillators.

The news was announced by the Government after last July saw the Department for Education (DfE) promise the device would be fitted in every state school in England by the end of the 2022/23 academic year.

Sharing that secondary schools were prioritised because the risk of cardiac arrest increases with age.

A defibrillator is used to shock a person’s heart when it has stopped beating.

Although secondary schools now have defibrillators, it is “well underway” in primary and special schools and due to be completed by the end of the summer term, the DfE added.

A total of 5,435 defibrillators have been delivered to 3,066 secondary schools in England, backed by £19 million of Government funding.

Research shows accessing a defibrillator within three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by more than 40%.

The rollout began after officials met with campaigners including Mark King, whose 12-year-old son Oliver suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while competing in a swimming race in 2011.

Mr King and former England footballer Jamie Carragher have been working together to push for mandatory defibrillators in all schools.

Since meeting Mr King, who set up the Oliver King Foundation in memory of his son, the Government has worked with charities such as the British Heart Foundation to identify the scale of need across schools in England.