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A Practical Guide for UK Schools
Someone falls on the playground. A pupil cuts their finger in D&T. A member of staff feels unwell. A sports injury happens on the playing field. When something goes wrong at school, everyone needs to know what happens next.
That's where your school's first-aid arrangements come in.
Do schools need first aiders? How many first aiders does a school actually need? What qualifications should they have? And who is responsible for making sure everything is up to date?
Unfortunately, there isn't one magic number that works for every school.
The good news is that once you understand the different requirements, it becomes much easier to work out what your school needs.
Do schools legally need first aiders?
Yes - schools need to make appropriate first-aid arrangements.
For employees, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel. Importantly, the regulations don't say that every school must have a particular number of first aiders.
Instead, schools need to consider their own circumstances and determine what is adequate and appropriate. That means your first-aid arrangements should be based on a proper assessment of your school's needs.
And that's where things get interesting.
Three sets of rules and guidance to consider
First aid in schools can seem unnecessarily complicated because several different requirements overlap. There are three main areas to keep in mind:
| Rules or guidance | Who does it cover? | What does it mean for schools? |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 | Employees | Employers must provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel. |
| DfE guidance | Pupils and visitors | Schools should have suitable first-aid arrangements for pupils and a clear written first-aid policy. |
| EYFS statutory framework | Early years children | Additional requirements apply to schools providing early years education, including paediatric first-aid provision. |
Think of these as three parts of the same picture.
You need to understand all three to make sure your school's arrangements are fit for purpose.
Ardent Safety is trusted by schools across the region. We provide practical training that gives staff the confidence to respond effectively when it matters most. We can train you at our purpose-built training centre or on site at your location. We can also split courses into smaller sessions and offer evening training to work around teaching comittments. In addition, staff can individually book on to our open courses, held each month at our training centre in Barrow.
We're dedicated to making sure your team is ready to act if an emergency happens. Find out more about our First Aid courses: https://ardentsafety.co.uk/category/first-aid/ and contact us today to discuss your training needs: https://ardentsafety.co.uk/contact-us/
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