A 10-year-old pupil saved his mother from choking hours after learning first-aid skills at school.

Elliot Dunn used techniques he had been taught by his teachers at Abercarn Primary School in Caerphilly when his mother Joanne started choking at home. Ms Dunn had been eating a chocolate bar when a piece of peanut became trapped in her throat.

Seeing her distress, Elliot hit her on the back four times and dislodged the nut.

Elliot, who is head boy, had been learning first aid through St John Wales’s Young Lifesaver Scheme, a classroom-based programme for children aged seven to 16.

Kevin McAnulty, head of Abercarn primary, praised Elliot’s actions. “We had just finished level one of the scheme, which includes the recovery position, treating asthma and choking,” he said. “It is good to show the pupils that the scheme works and it really does save lives.”

First aid became a compulsory part of the national curriculum in Wales in 2000. Last year, 3,000 pupils were taught lifesaving skills.

St John Wales said it would recommend Elliot for an award.