A hero pupil rushed to his teacher's aid and put her in the recovery position after she collapsed during class.

Quick-thinking Zac Nixon, 13, used his first-aid skills to help Maggie Wyatt after she fell to the floor at Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury.

The teacher was just 10 minutes into her Spanish lesson when she collapsed unconscious, stunning pupils in the classroom.

Another teacher raced to help but was unaware of what to do, leaving Zac to step forward and put his training to good use.

The 13-year-old checked for signs of breathing before moving Mrs Wyatt's arms into the correct position.

He said: "We were just at the start of the lesson and Mrs Wyatt was about to hand out some work. Then she fell to the floor.

"Everyone was a bit shocked. Some of the class went quiet while some stood up and a few were really anxious.

"It was scary because it could have been anything. I felt settled when I could hear her breathing.

"I had first aid training but had never put anyone in the recovery position before.

"When I told my mum and dad they said they were really proud and that the course was well worth taking."

As the pupils were moved to a maths lesson, Zac stayed behind to check his teacher was all right before rejoining his classmates.

He added: "I wanted see if she was OK. I didn't have the chance to speak to her before I left.

"I learned first aid partially through Scouts and also at a course while I was at primary school.

"I would like to learn the next stage and I think everyone should receive training, including the teachers."

Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury

Mrs Wyatt, who was kept off school the next day as a precaution, praised Zac's actions and said she was thankful he was in the class at the time.

She said: "I was feeling unwell and I just fainted. The next minute I was lying on the floor.

"When I heard what Zac did I was overwhelmed by his cool head and just grateful he had the foresight to be first-aid trained."

Principal Simon Murphy said: "I was really impressed with Zac and his quick-thinking actions. I’m really proud of him for the way he responded.

"The whole class acted responsibly and I was impressed with the public-spiritedness of everybody's actions.

"As soon as I heard what happened I checked the member of staff was okay. Then I went to the maths class to congratulate the pupils."