Top mark for first aid for Nottinghamshire primary school

Nottinghamshire's Wadsworth Fields Primary School is the first in the country to receive the new St John Ambulance Schools Mark.

A skill for life

This prestigious national award is given to schools that show a significant commitment to the safety and health of their pupils, workforce and community.

The award was presented by Will Chew, National St John Ambulance Education Officer, to Wadsworth Fields' Head Teacher Sally Bates. She extolled the virtues of teaching first aid in schools and its long term benefits.

'The main aim of the school is to make children responsible people in the future and to support their community. First aid is something that every child can take part in. It is a key skill for life,' she said.

Commitment to the community

Chew was similarly effusive about the Wadsworth Fields' efforts.

'It is absolutely fantastic that the school should show such commitment to health and safety and first aid in the workplace and the school environment, for both the pupils and the staff as well. The aim is to make all schools as safe as possible,' he said. 

Parent governor Simon Hunt, whose seven-year-old daughter, Holly, is a pupil at the primary school, said it was important for the local community that so many children were able to demonstrate these skills.

'I feel confident knowing that we have a generation growing up with really important skills that they will transfer in later life into the workplace and universities and colleges,' he said.

Bringing first aid to schools

St John Ambulance Nottinghamshire Schools Liaison Officer Darren Allcock and his assistant Barbara Robinson train pupils for the Young First Aider certificate. They also provide pupils with the opportunity to put their skills into practice against teams from other Nottinghamshire schools. Since the Schools Liaison team began its work six years ago, over 55,000 pupils aged between seven and 18 in more than 150 Nottinghamshire schools have learnt vital skills that could be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.

'As well as building the confidence of staff to respond to an emergency, first aid training teaches pupils to care for others, equipping them with the skills to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved,' said Allcock.

For more information about the work of the Schools Liaison team contact your local St John Ambulance schools team.

If you are a teacher and are interested in teaching first aid in the classroom, please visit Teach the difference.

St John Ambulance teaches valuable life skills to young people by training them in first aid, in schools and through its youth schemes. More than 600,000 pupils are trained each year in schools across the country.