First Aid in Primary Schools

Are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid?

I have spoken to many Mid-Day Supervisors and Teaching Assistants who have received training in Emergency First Aid at Work, and have done so for some period, up to 10 years in some cases, and I find that most have never done training on a child manikin or indeed know the differences between doing CPR on a child in comparison to administering it to an adult.

I find this very worrying, the problem is, that although the school meets the HSE/Ofsted recommendations on First Aid at Work, 90% of contact for the staff mentioned above is with children, so the chances are that 90% of first aid given will be given to a child.

So back to my question, are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid? Or as HSE would put it, is the training fit for purpose?

So what training should these staff receive?

The problem is, if these staff are all given Paediatric First Aid training, HSE do not recognise that as adequate for the purpose of First Aid at Work and the way Ofqual have set the awards, there is either First Aid at Work or Paediatric First Aid.

So do staff need both awards?

The truth is training must be fit for purpose.

Reputable training providers will always take their clients circumstances into consideration and adjust training as required, so therefore it is acceptable to train staff in First Aid at Work but also add in the differences between adults and children, (so providers rename this with things like “First Aid for School” etc) this way the staff will be properly trained to administer first aid appropriately. They will be awarded a First Aid at Work, but still understand how to adopt that to children.

But schools should be aware that not all First Aid trainers are qualify to deliver both and just because you are using long established organisations does not mean it is right, remember what I said earlier that some of the people I have spoken to have been First Aiders at school for 10 years (well before the 2013 changes) and are still not adequately trained.

At the end of the day, the responsibly lays with the school (or whoever is responsible for the school), to ensure that any training given is “fit for purpose”.

For more information you can download the DfE guidance on First Aid in Schools here www.safatraining.co.uk/first-aid