⛑️First Aid in Schools – Going Beyond Compliance to Ensure Safety

The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and First Aid at Work Regulations (1981) set out statutory compliance requirements that apply to all workplaces, including schools. At first glance, their implications for schools may seem minimal: one appointed person, one first aider for every 50 workers, first aid containers and reporting serious injuries. However, upon further examination, there is much more that schools need to do…

Firstly, it is important and perhaps obvious that schools have a duty of care to everyone on their site, not just their workers. This includes students, contractors, and visitors. A large secondary school can have up to 2,000 people to consider. Additionally, the majority of these individuals are classified as vulnerable, as they are under 18 and therefore require a higher duty of care.

Determining what schools need to do to be compliant can be challenging. This includes working out ratios or numbers of first aid kits, deciding on the number and position of AED’s and whether to employ a school nurse. Legislation does not specify exactly what each schools must do to ensure compliance, and every school is different.

At SchoolPro Safety, we believe the answer is to go beyond compliance. By doing more than the minimum, schools can save time and money both in day-to-day management and in the long term. For example, having well-trained staff in every classroom not only ensures student safety but also shares the responsibility of dealing with first aid, preventing one individual’s time from being consumed by minor injuries. An ethos of safety first leads to fewer serious accidents, which can save significant time and money. If a school’s primary objective is to keep children safe (above teaching and learning), then going beyond compliance makes sense.

3 Easy Ways to Go Beyond Compliance:

Report and Analyse – Most schools are good at filling out their accident report books, but what happens next? A monthly review of accident report sheets can reveal where and when accidents occur, allowing schools to proactively reduce them and save time and resources.
Training – There are many excellent online and face-to-face training options available from various providers. Investing in training not only provides peace of mind, knowing there are enough staff to handle any incident, but it also saves money in the long run.
Integrate First Aid into Your Curriculum – Teaching first aid to students makes them more careful and able to help each other. It also reinforces and develops teaching staff’s first aid knowledge as they work through lessons with students.

For understanding your responsibilities, there is good advice here:

First aid in schools, early years and further education – GOV.UK

As a SchoolPro Safety school, we want to support you in going beyond compliance. The best help we can offer is training designed for schools that fits your budget. We offer a range of courses, but most schools look for the HSE-recognized paediatric and emergency paediatric courses.

The 3-day Full Paediatric First Aid Course is designed to meet the needs of most primary and secondary schools. It is a comprehensive course, and while it may not be feasible to put all staff through it, it is beneficial to have at least one person on site with the extra knowledge this course provides.

The 1-day Emergency Paediatric First Aid Course is more suitable for staff who only deal with first aid in emergencies. It provides the peace of mind needed to handle serious incidents while waiting for emergency services to arrive.

You can book one of these courses by following this link:

Health & Safety – SchoolPro TLC.

We believe our prices are competitive, but if you are a SchoolPro Safety school, or looking to become one, get in touch today to discuss your options and find out about available discounted rates. The most cost-effective way to get your training is to host your own course. One of our instructors will come to you for a flat fee of as little as £450. You can choose the time and place, and if you train 12 staff at a time, the cost is around £40 per head. If this is something your school or trust would like to take advantage of, please email jbartlam@schoolpro.uk.

Our team is here to help. If you have any other questions about this or any other topic, please contact us at contact@schoolpro.uk

Stay safe and healthy,

The SchoolPro TLC Team

SchoolPro TLC Ltd (2025)

SchoolPro TLC guidance does not constitute legal advice.

SchoolPro TLC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

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