AEDs in schools can provide rapid access to potentially life-saving defibrillation if a pupil, member of staff, visitor or someone in the surrounding community experiences a cardiac arrest. Schools are often busy community locations, so having a defibrillator available, accessible and properly maintained can form an important part of emergency planning.

Automated External Defibrillators, usually called AEDs or defibrillators, are designed so that members of the public can use them.

You do not need to diagnose the person’s heart rhythm or decide whether they need a shock.

The AED analyses the heart rhythm and determines whether a shock is appropriate.

This guide explains the current position on AEDs in schools, including Department for Education guidance, where a school defibrillator should be located, using an AED on children, maintenance, public access and training.

Should Schools Have an AED?

The Department for Education encourages schools and colleges to purchase an AED as part of their first aid equipment.

The DfE also provides specific guidance on Automated External Defibrillators in schools, covering areas including buying, installing, using and maintaining a defibrillator.

The guidance applies primarily to maintained schools and academies in England, although other education and childcare settings can make use of much of the information.

Resuscitation Council UK also supports AED provision in schools.

There is another important reason to think beyond pupils when considering AEDs in schools.

A school defibrillator is there for everybody on the site.

That includes:

pupils
teachers
teaching assistants
support staff
contractors
parents
visitors
sports clubs
community groups using school facilities

Resuscitation Council UK points out that sudden cardiac arrest in school-age children is rare and a resuscitation attempt at a school may be more likely to involve an adult member of staff or visitor than a pupil.

AED provision should therefore be viewed as part of the school’s wider emergency preparedness.

Why Are AEDs in Schools Important?

A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops effectively pumping blood around the body.

The person becomes unresponsive and is not breathing normally.

This requires immediate action.

Someone should call 999, CPR should begin and an AED should be retrieved and used as soon as possible.

Current Resuscitation Council UK guidance states that bystander CPR and AED use can increase the chance of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by two to four times.

The purpose of having an AED at school is therefore straightforward.

It reduces the time needed to get a defibrillator to someone who needs it.

If staff are unsure what happens once the AED arrives, our guide explaining how to use an AED takes you through the process step by step.

Can an AED Be Used on a Child?

Yes.

An AED can be used on a child experiencing cardiac arrest.

Current Resuscitation Council UK guidance states that if an AED is the only device available, it should be used on any age group.

For children under eight, a paediatric-attenuated shock setting should be used when available.

Depending on the AED, this may involve:

paediatric pads
a child mode
a child switch
a paediatric key
another manufacturer-specific system

However, defibrillation should not be delayed because paediatric attenuation is unavailable.

This is an important consideration when choosing AEDs in schools, particularly primary schools and settings with younger children.

Check exactly how your particular AED switches between adult and paediatric use and make sure any additional equipment it requires is available.

Can an AED Be Used on a Baby?

An AED can also be used if an infant is in cardiac arrest.

Paediatric cardiac arrest differs from adult cardiac arrest, and rescuers who have received paediatric first aid training will learn the appropriate CPR sequence for babies and children.

However, lack of a specialist paediatric AED should not prevent the available AED from being used.

We will cover pad choice, paediatric settings and positioning more fully in our separate guide to using an AED on a child or baby.

Where Should AEDs in Schools Be Located?

Good placement is just as important as owning the equipment.

The AED needs to be somewhere people can find and retrieve quickly.

Possible school locations might include:

reception
a central corridor
sports facilities
near a main entrance
a publicly accessible external wall or school boundary

But there is no single location that is automatically right for every school.

Consider the whole site.

A school may include:

several floors
separate teaching blocks
sports halls
playing fields
playgrounds
detached buildings
car parks
community facilities

An AED kept at reception may be easy to reach from classrooms but several minutes away from a distant playing field.

Walk the site and test realistic retrieval times.

Our full AED placement guidelines explain how to assess accessibility across different types of premises.

Should a School AED Be Available to the Community?

Where practical, this can considerably increase the usefulness of the equipment.

Resuscitation Council UK recommends that school-based AEDs are made accessible to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ideally by locating them somewhere such as the school boundary or gates.

This allows the AED to potentially serve the surrounding community when the school itself is closed.

Think about evenings, weekends and school holidays.

An AED locked inside reception may be unavailable for much of the year.

External access may also benefit:

community sports teams
evening clubs
parents
neighbouring residents
visitors
organisations hiring school facilities

Schools need to balance accessibility with appropriate environmental protection and site arrangements.

Register School AEDs with The Circuit

Publicly accessible AEDs in schools should be registered with The Circuit, the national defibrillator network.

The Circuit connects information about defibrillators with UK ambulance services.

During a 999 call involving a suspected cardiac arrest, the ambulance service may therefore be able to identify an accessible AED nearby and direct someone to retrieve it.

Registration information should accurately reflect when the school AED is available.

For example, an AED inside a locked school building should not be recorded as available to the public overnight.

If the AED is relocated or its access arrangements change, update the information.

Should a School AED Cabinet Be Locked?

For public access defibrillators, current Resuscitation Council UK guidance favours unlocked cabinets.

The priority is rapid access during a cardiac arrest.

If the school AED is installed outside, the cabinet also needs to provide suitable environmental protection.

Consider:

weather
temperature
moisture
visibility
lighting
accessibility
manufacturer’s storage requirements
electrical requirements for the cabinet where applicable

If your school is considering moving an AED outside or installing an additional community-accessible device, you can compare AED cabinets and storage options from Jax First Aid.

Affiliate disclosure: The link above and other Jax First Aid links in this article are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after following one of these links, First Aid and Safety Training may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only include affiliate links where they are genuinely relevant to the subject being discussed.

AED Signs in Schools

People cannot retrieve an AED quickly if they do not know where it is.

Clear signage should form part of planning for AEDs in schools.

Consider signs:

beside the AED
at reception
along corridors
near entrances
around sports facilities
beside external cabinets
at relevant site access points

Directional signs can be particularly useful on large school sites.

The AED itself should also be positioned somewhere visible rather than hidden inside an office or cupboard.

For internal locations, a projecting AED location sign can help make the defibrillator location visible to people approaching from different directions.

Who Can Use a School AED?

Anyone can use an AED.

A member of staff does not need to hold an AED certificate before they can use the equipment during a cardiac arrest.

Modern AEDs provide spoken and visual instructions.

The device analyses the casualty’s heart rhythm and determines whether a shock is required.

This is important when developing school emergency procedures.

The response should not depend on finding one particular trained member of staff before the AED can be used.

If someone is in cardiac arrest, immediate action matters.

Do School Staff Need AED Training?

Training is not required before somebody can use an AED in an emergency.

However, training can significantly improve confidence.

Staff who have practised CPR and AED use are more familiar with:

recognising cardiac arrest
calling 999
starting CPR
retrieving the AED
exposing the casualty’s chest
attaching electrode pads
following AED prompts
continuing CPR
working with other rescuers

This can make the process feel far less unfamiliar during a real emergency.

First Aid and Safety Training includes practical CPR and AED skills within our regulated workplace and paediatric first aid training.

AEDs in Schools and First Aid Training

Schools often need several different types of first aid competence.

For example, staff may require:

workplace first aid
paediatric first aid
CPR and AED skills
anaphylaxis awareness
emergency response knowledge

The right combination depends on the setting, age of pupils, staffing arrangements and first aid needs assessment.

Our Paediatric First Aid training develops practical skills for responding to emergencies involving babies and children.

Schools can also use Emergency First Aid at Work training for appropriate workplace first aid provision.

Pupils Should Learn About CPR and AEDs Too

Emergency preparedness does not have to stop with staff.

In England, Health Education has been compulsory in state-funded schools since September 2020.

Department for Education guidance explains that primary pupils should learn basic first aid, while secondary pupils should learn further first aid including CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.

Current Resuscitation Council UK education guidance goes further and recommends introducing resuscitation education from early childhood and continuing it throughout school.

Its 2025 guidance recommends progressing towards comprehensive skills, including chest compressions around ages 10 to 12 and AED use around ages 13 to 16.

Teaching young people these skills helps make CPR and defibrillation a normal part of emergency response rather than something they first encounter as adults.

AEDs in Schools and Sports Facilities

Sports areas deserve particular consideration.

Cardiac arrest can occur during physical activity, and school sports facilities may also be used by community clubs outside school hours.

Consider the distance between the AED and:

sports halls
gyms
swimming facilities
playing fields
athletics areas
changing rooms
spectator areas

A defibrillator in the main school reception may not provide good access to a remote playing field.

Schools with extensive grounds should physically test how long it takes someone to retrieve the AED and return to the furthest activity areas.

If an AED needs to move with teams or activities, our guide to choosing portable AEDs explains the issues worth considering.

Maintaining AEDs in Schools

AEDs require relatively little routine maintenance, but somebody needs to take responsibility for them.

Schools should have a nominated person or system for checking the equipment.

Checks should include:

AED rescue-ready indicator
electrode pad expiry dates
battery status
physical condition
cabinet condition
accessories
signage
accessibility
The Circuit information

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the particular AED.

Electrode pads need replacing after use and when they reach their expiry date.

Batteries also have manufacturer-specific replacement requirements.

Do not assume an AED is ready simply because nobody has used it.

What Should Be Kept with a School AED?

Useful AED accessories can include:

trauma scissors
disposable gloves
a razor
towel or absorbent material
CPR face shield

These items can help prepare a casualty for defibrillation.

For example, clothing needs to be removed from the chest before the pads are attached.

A wet chest may need drying so the pads adhere correctly.

Excessive chest hair only needs removing if it prevents good pad adhesion.

Resuscitation Council UK recommends that cabinets are kept focused on the AED and its associated equipment rather than being filled with unrelated medical supplies.

Schools needing replacement pads, batteries or AED accessories can view the current AED equipment range from Jax First Aid.

Choosing AEDs in Schools

If a school is purchasing or replacing an AED, consider more than the initial price.

Important questions include:

Can it be used on adults and children?
How is paediatric mode activated?
Are child pads required?
What is the pad shelf life?
How much are replacement pads?
What is the battery life?
What does a replacement battery cost?
Is it semi-automatic or fully automatic?
Does it provide CPR feedback?
What is its IP rating?
Is it suitable for the intended environment?
What warranty is included?
Are replacement consumables readily available in the UK?

The Department for Education also maintains purchasing arrangements for eligible education and childcare settings.

Compare the complete cost and suitability of the equipment rather than choosing an AED purely because it has the lowest purchase price.

Our portable AED buying guide explains these considerations in more detail.

Are AEDs in Schools a Legal Requirement?

This needs careful wording.

Schools in England are encouraged to have AEDs as part of their first aid provision, and government programmes have significantly expanded access to defibrillators across state-funded schools.

However, AED provision should not be described simply as a universal statutory requirement applying identically to every educational setting throughout the UK.

Requirements, funding arrangements and government programmes can differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For example, Northern Ireland announced in February 2026 that its AED rollout had resulted in every school there having access to a defibrillator.

For schools in England, the Department for Education provides specific guidance on purchasing, installing, using and maintaining AEDs.

Schools should follow the guidance applicable to their nation and setting.

School AED Emergency Planning

Installing the AED should not be the end of the process.

Schools should consider what will happen during an actual emergency.

Questions worth asking include:

Who calls 999?
Who retrieves the AED?
Does everybody know where it is?
Can visitors find it?
Can the AED be reached during breaks and lunchtime?
What happens during sports activities?
What happens after school?
Is it available during community use?
Who checks it?
Who replaces pads after use?
Who updates The Circuit?
Is staff training kept current?

You do not need an unnecessarily complicated procedure.

The purpose of planning is to remove delays and uncertainty.

AEDs in Schools Checklist

Schools reviewing their AED provision can ask:

Do we have an AED?
Can it be found easily?
Is it clearly signposted?
Can it be reached quickly from across the site?
Have we considered sports facilities and playing fields?
Can it be used on children?
Do we know how its paediatric function works?
Is it accessible outside school hours?
Could it be made available to the wider community?
Is it registered with The Circuit?
Are its availability times correct?
Is somebody responsible for checking it?
Are the pads in date?
Is the battery rescue ready?
Do staff know anyone can use it?
Have staff had an opportunity to practise CPR and AED use?

If several of those questions produce uncertain answers, the school has identified useful areas to improve.

AEDs in Schools Protect More Than Pupils

The value of AEDs in schools extends beyond children.

Schools bring together hundreds or sometimes thousands of people.

Staff work there every day.

Parents and visitors enter the premises.

Contractors carry out work.

Sports clubs and community organisations may use the facilities during evenings and weekends.

The surrounding community may also benefit from a publicly accessible AED.

That is why a school defibrillator should not simply be viewed as another piece of first aid equipment.

It can become part of the emergency readiness of the entire school community.

Build Confidence to Respond

An AED is designed so that anyone can use it, but confidence matters.

Practical training gives school staff an opportunity to practise CPR and AED use in a controlled environment before they ever need those skills for real.

First Aid and Safety Training provides regulated first aid qualifications for schools, childcare settings and other organisations across the North East.

Our Paediatric First Aid course covers emergency response involving babies and children, while our Emergency First Aid at Work course provides essential workplace first aid skills including CPR and AED use.

We can also provide onsite first aid training for schools and organisations across the North East, allowing staff to train together at their own premises.

If you would like to discuss first aid training for your school, contact First Aid and Safety Training.

You can also see our South Shields training location and customer reviews on Google.

Real Skills, Real Confidence.