For the very first time, school children across England will learn lifesaving skills as part of the school curriculum, a monumental moment after ten years of campaigning by the British Red Cross and partners.
Concerning new research reveals over one fifth of children polled in Yorkshire have experienced a situation where someone needed first aid (21 per cent) but more than half of children (59 percent) said they would feel helpless to act if they witnessed an accident and someone was injured. The research is being released by the British Red Cross ahead of World First Aid Day and to coincide with the launch of the pilot of first aid in schools.
After learning first aid at an after-school club just weeks before, BGS pupil Stephen Orbeladze, then 9, was quickly able to put his first aid knowledge into practice by helping a woman who collapsed on his street.
When he saw the lady was unresponsive, he quickly went over and tried talking to her. When she wasn’t talking he checked for breathing by putting his ear to her mouth. Once he knew she was breathing, he rolled her on to her side with her head tilted back. He then asked his mum to call for an ambulance and they stayed with her until one arrived.
Stephen, from Skipton, but who now lives in Bradford, said: “I was a little nervous but I remembered what to do because I had learned at first aid club. I think it is important to know what to do because we should all help each other. I am really proud of what I did.”
Stephen’s dad, Wayne, said: “Stephen’s incredible bravery shows the importance of teaching first aid to children. He used the skills he learned in school to help a woman who had collapsed in front of him. We’re incredibly proud of him.
“I think most people probably would have been too afraid to help her because they might not know what to do, but not Stephen. His training gave him the confidence to rush over and jump into action.”
The curriculum changes come under the introduction of Relationships, Sex and Health Education and mean that from September 2020 all pupils in state-funded schools in England will learn first aid. Primary school children will be taught basic first aid for example, how to call emergency services or how to help someone with a head injury.
Secondary school children will learn lifesaving skills such as how to help someone who is having a cardiac arrest. Around 1,600 schools across England have signed up to start teaching Relationships, Sex and Health Education early from this September, according to the Department for Education. Over 300 schools have already signed up to receive free British Red Cross first aid education resources to support teachers to start teaching first aid this year.
The British Red Cross is committed to campaigning for first aid education to be taught in all schools once a year, every year across the whole of the UK. The British Red Cross are also relaunching their first aid mobile app so that everyone can have lifesaving skills at their fingertips.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “It’s fantastic that young people are so enthusiastic about learning first aid – a really important skill that means they will be ready to help in an emergency and could even save someone’s life one day.
“Our new health education curriculum, to be rolled out nationally in 2020, will mean every child will have the chance to learn lifesaving skills at school along with how to look after their own mental and physical health, ensuring they have the knowledge they need to grow up safe and happy.”
Everyone can know the skills to save a life.
Download the free British Red Cross app to learn lifesaving first aid skills at www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/first-aid-apps
“I was a little nervous but I remembered what to do because I had learned at first aid club. I think it is important to know what to do because we should all help each other. I am really proud of what I did.”
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