Choosing the Right First Aid Course for your Educational Establishment

There are some complex rules around choosing the right courses for your environment.  Below, you will find some basic advice, based on the existing regulations.  For details of your specific requirements, or if you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to contact us, and we will be very happy to help you out.

What you need to consider

There are several different elements that you need to consider to make sure that you obtain the correct training for your needs.  They are:

• The types of people that you are caring for (full and part-time staff, students, parents, visitors etc)
• The ages of people that you are caring for (adults, children, anyone under 8 years old)
• The numbers of people in each of the above categories
• Whether you have people in your care with certain pre-existing medical conditions.
• The layout of your premises (whether you have multiple floors, buildings and sites, and how widely they are dispersed).
• Levels of hazard and risk identified in your risk assessment
• Any other information identified in your risk assessment.

Different Types of Course

Depending on which of the above elements apply to your environment, you may need people to undertake more than one type of training.  For example, you will need:

• Paediatric First Aid training - if you care for children up to the age of 8, in addition to
• HSE First Aid at Work training (1, 2 or 3-day versions) - to care for your staff and others over 8 years old.
• Anaphylaxis training - if you have anyone who suffers from severe allergic reactions

You may also want customised courses for specific needs, such as:

• Sports first aid - for your sports teachers and coaches
• AED training - if you have defibrillators on-site
• Basic Life Support - as top-up training for new staff, or as a reminder in-between formal requalifying courses
• Customised courses - for curriculum enrichment for students, or where a standard course can't meet your needs.
• Specific medical condition awareness courses, including asthma, diabetes, epilepsy etc.

It won't be necessary for you to have every course, but it is essential that you choose the right ones.

Examples

1. As a college catering for students aged 16 and above, you would need staff trained in the 3-day HSE First Aid at Work course.  You might also need courses catering for known pre-existing conditions, and perhaps specific risks (i.e. sporting injuries).
   


2. As a school, catering for children from age 4 to 11, you would need both the Paediatric First Aid course (in line with Ofsted requirements) and one or three-day HSE First Aid at Work courses, to look after students across the age ranges, and to care for staff and other adults.  You might also need Anaphylaxis or other specialist courses.
   


3. As a pre-school or nursery, you would again need the Paediatric First Aid course to look after the young children in your care, as well as an HSE course to care for staff and other adults.  You might also need Anaphylaxis or other specialist courses.

Whichever situation you are in, it is important that you follow the recommendations of your risk assessment, and do so within the guidance of the HSE and Ofsted.  If you'd like more information, or to discuss your options without obligation, please call us on 01234 308 740, or send us a message detailing your situation, and we'll call you back.

Course List

The following courses are available for those working in your environment. Click on the course title for details of course content, or on the 'Enquire Now' link to ask a question or book a course.