According to a recent survey from the Children’s Accident Prevention Trust, each year over 10,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 are admitted to hospital through choking. Following these shocking statistics, a new organisation called ‘First Aid For Schools’ has been set up in an attempt to combat these figures by increasing the number of trained first aiders available in schools.
The law currently states that only one qualified First Aider needs to be on-site at any one time. However, with school sizes constantly increasing and the fact that it only takes 2 minutes for a child to go unconscious through choking, these statistics are in danger of growing unless more schools incorporate courses provided by the likes of ‘First Aid For Schools’.
Kitty Sullivan, founder of First Aid for Schools, said, “I have constantly been shocked at the poor standards of first aid training in schools and nurseries. I started this organisation as a worried mother, shocked that only 2 out of the 20 schools in my catchment area had qualified first aiders above the government minimum.”
Ofsted, states that all those working with under 4s are required to hold a valid 12-hour paediatric First Aid certificate. Why is it that only under 4s have this level of care when training staff and teachers in primary and secondary schools is so easy?”
Asphyxia is the third most common cause of death in UK children. First Aid for Schools is urging all schools to sign up for Emergency First Aid training. They offer an innovative method of teaching First Aid, which is based on Montessori principals, whereby students learn most effectively through movement. At no point on the course will the participant just sit-and-listen; they actively take part in each session, understanding not only how to deal with First Aid emergencies, but practically, how to prevent them. Subsequently the candidates not only find the courses enjoyable but they also retain the information.
School and Nursery Staff are taught in small, interactive, groups and study Emergency First Aid (CPR, choking, recovery position, bleeds and burns). Parents within the school attend an evening organized through their P.A. and cover the same subjects. Children (aged 10+) are taught during school hours. As a result of this, everybody within the school environment is First Aid trained.