Lifesaving lessons for schools: First aid to be added to the school curriculum after ten years of campaigning

For the very first time, schoolchildren 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 the North West have experienced a situation where someone needed first aid (21 per cent) but more than half of children (56 per cent) 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.

Nine out of ten children (90 per cent) agreed that knowing first aid skills would make them feel more confident to help in a first aid emergency – highlighting how learning first aid will empower young people and help to create a generation of lifesavers.

The poll also shows:

• Over nine out of ten children (93 per cent) in the North West agreed that learning how to save a life is one of the most important lessons they could learn at school.
• 98 per cent of parents of 5-18 year olds in the North West surveyed back children learning first aid and lifesaving skills as a compulsory part of the school curriculum.

A separate study by the British Red Cross found that up to 59 per cent of deaths from injuries could be prevented if first aid had been given before the medical services arrived. The actions of the first person at the scene are vital – and can mean the difference between life and death.

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.

Joe Mulligan, Head of First Aid Education at the British Red Cross said: “The launch of first aid on the school curriculum in England celebrates a landmark commitment by Government to create a future generation of lifesavers.

“Our research released for World First Aid Day highlights how vital first aid lessons are in teaching and empowering children to feel they are able to help in an emergency. These aren’t just skills that young people will be able to use now, but will be able to take with them into adulthood.

“We need to build strong communities who know to help in a crisis, we are now a step closer to achieving this.”

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:

www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/first-aid-apps