Most school emergencies are not dramatic. They are a pupil who has fallen in the playground, a colleague who has fainted during a staff meeting, a child in distress after a collision on the sports field. In the minutes before a trained first aider arrives or an ambulance is called, the response of the nearest adult can make a significant difference — not just to outcomes, but to how safe and supported the person in difficulty feels.
First Aid Awareness for School Staff: Be Ready, Be Confident is a comprehensive, on-demand CPD course designed for all school staff regardless of their role or prior first aid experience. Across six clearly structured sections, it introduces the principles of first aid, covers the most common emergency situations that arise in schools, and gives every member of staff the knowledge and confidence to act appropriately in those critical first moments.
This course is an awareness programme. It is not a substitute for hands-on, accredited first aid training, and completing it does not qualify staff as designated first aiders. It is designed to sit alongside — and complement — the school's formal first aid provision, ensuring that every adult in the building has a confident working knowledge of what to do, who to call, and how to help.
What the course covers
- The legal framework for first aid in schools and the responsibilities of employers, governing bodies, and individual staff members
- How to assess a first aid situation safely using the primary survey (DRSABC)
- The most common emergencies in school settings, including loss of consciousness, choking, asthma attacks, seizures, head injuries, and fainting
- CPR — including hands-only CPR for bystanders — and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED)
- First aid for bleeding, burns and scalds, and head injuries
- First aid for musculoskeletal injuries including broken bones, sprains, and strains
- Post-incident responsibilities: record-keeping, communication with parents, and how schools review and learn from first aid events
- What every member of staff should know: where the first aid kit is, who the trained first aiders are, how to raise the alarm, and where the AED is located
Who it is for
This course is suitable for all school-based staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, office and administrative staff, site and premises staff, lunchtime supervisors, and any other role in a school or educational setting. No prior first aid knowledge is assumed.
