Project background

CPR education is not mandatory in Finnish primary schools, even though the curriculum allows first aid skills to be taught. Many teachers need knowledge, practical skills and ready-made models to teach CPR and emergency response safely to pupils of different ages.

Project objectives

• For primary school teachers: to strengthen knowledge, practical skills and confidence in teaching CPR and emergency situations.
• For pupils: to increase opportunities to learn basic life‑saving skills as part of different school subjects.
• For school communities: to create ways to integrate CPR and emergency education into the curriculum.

Project activities

During the project we:

• designed a five-course training programme for primary school teachers
• delivered online studies and in-person training days with hands-on practice
• practised recognising cardiac arrest, making emergency calls and performing CPR
• created lesson plans for teaching CPR to pupils of different ages
• compiled teaching materials and practical examples for classroom use.

Results and outputs

The project produced a practical training programme for primary school teachers. Participants reported increased confidence and skills in teaching CPR and emergency response and planned to include the topic in their teaching. The produced materials can be shared within schools and used in future teaching.