Should First Aid Be Compulsory In Schools?

Here at Aid Training, we’ve long believed and supported calls for first aid to be made a compulsory part of the national school curriculum, as we know first-hand just how important it can be in saving lives.

First aid as part of the National Curriculum

Back in 2009 St John’s Ambulance carried out a survey where more than 1,500 school children took part, of which, 7 out of 10 said they would not know how to help in an emergency. Whilst this survey highlighted the need for more first aid training and awareness in schools, it was hardly the first time that calls had been made to introduce it as a core part of the education of young people.

All major health organisations and first aid groups have pushed for first aid to be an integral part of the curriculum in UK schools for a number of years, in one form or another.  At one point, previous governments stated that they aimed to bring this into England by 2011, but this still hasn’t been completed.

When new national requirements for the curriculum were introduced in 2014, there was no mention of first aid. Whilst it is currently an optional part of the curriculum, it isn’t compulsory.

The 2015 Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education (State-Funded Secondary Schools) Bill

A Private Members’ Bill was introduced into the 2015/2016 Parliament to make first aid a core part of education in every secondary school in the country. Known officially as the Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education (State-Funded Secondary Schools) Bill, it would have required every state-funded school to teach first aid to children aged 11-16.

Although the bill was introduced by a Labour MP, it had cross-party support, with a number of back bench Conservative MPs joining the campaign to push the bill through its first reading, petitioning the Government to pass the bill. Indeed, one Tory MP - Will Quince – was quoted as saying the bill would “create a generation of lifesavers.”

Despite support from all sides, the bill was blocked from progressing any further than its first reading, as Conservative MPs effectively ‘ran the clock out’. There is a set period of discussion time set aside for each bill, and Tory MPs filibustered by speaking for the duration of the debate and not allowing a vote to be held. 

Why the current Government opposes the bill

Citing their opposition to the bill, the Conservative Government said that they didn’t believe in telling schools what to do. They did not want to overload the National Curriculum and force teachers into the role of ‘acting parents.’ This is in contrast to polls that suggest parents support first aid training in school; the British Heart Foundation found that 85% of teachers and 78% of parents back the idea.

After speaking for over 50 minutes, MP Philip Davies defended his stance by saying that he had been taught first aid in school and had forgotten it all. He said there were a number of other voluntary organisations that could provide training to children.

This is in spite of St. John’s Ambulance, The British Red Cross, the Royal College of Nursing, and the British Heart Foundation all supporting the bill.

The benefits of being taught in school

An estimated 400,000 young people are injured each year at school, which should immediately indicate the importance of first aid training. As children grow up, there are many instances where knowing basic first aid can make a life-saving difference, whether that’s helping a grandparent who has suffered a stroke or heart attack or helping a friend who has injured themselves in a fall off a bike.

We see stories every day where a child has rescued or saved an individual by learning valuable first aid at school. This proves that teaching every child first aid at school would save thousands of lives a year, while also reducing the waiting times at A&E departments, as doctors claim.

In particular Dr Jennifer Devine, associate specialist in emergency medicine at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, has called on the Scottish government to make it compulsory for every child to be taught lifesaving skills at various stages through their schooling. As Devine stated, “Children should be taught four R’s rather than just three – reading, writing, arithmetic & CPR”, and we definitely agree here at Aid Training.

An ICM poll of secondary students found that only 20% had ever received life-saving training in schools, and just 4% would feel confident to step up and help in an emergency situation. We think this needs to change.

The same poll asked if students would feel more confident helping someone after having training. 94% said ‘Yes.’ When asked if they would like to learn first aid in school, 91% said ‘yes.’

We will keep supporting efforts to make first aid training in schools compulsory, because we believe that it’s an extremely important life skill, which is what education should be about. Knowing just a little can save a lot of lives.

Let us know what you think. If you would like first aid support, see how our Education & School Training Courses can help.