Every nursery school wants to protect its students from accidents, but potential risks in and around school grounds may result in injuries anytime. While schools cannot remove all possible hazards, it can improve its ability to handle them by ensuring that all personnel handling children or are around them have ample paediatric first aid training.
Furthermore, schools should follow Department for Education’s guidelines regarding paediatric first aid skills. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires new Level 2 and 3 Early Years Educators to finish either a complete paediatric first aid (PFA) or emergency PFA certification within 3 months of beginning their work. In response to this regulation and to be able to properly respond to accidents, school personnel should know about the three common nursery injuries and related first aid measures.
Choking
Young students, especially toddlers, are at high risk of choking because they tend to taste or put things in their mouth, like pencils and erasers. Likewise, improper chewing of food can cause choking.
In case students choke, this is what you can do as a teacher or school staff. For children over one year old, stand behind them and slightly to one side, support their chest with one hand, and give five sharp blows between their shoulders with the heel of your hand. If the blockage didn’t cleared, apply five abdominal thrusts. If an object is still stuck in their throat, remain calm and repeat these steps whilst a colleague calls 999 .
Drowning
If the child isn’t breathing and unresponsive, give five rescue breaths then apply CPR immediately. For CPR, do 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths. Continue providing CPR until medical help comes or the child becomes regains consciousness.
Falls
Children can slip, fall, or trip due to slippery floors or obstacles on the ground apart from poor lighting and floor cracks. If the child is breathing, position him in recovery while calling for help. If the student doesn’t seem to be breathing, have someone call an ambulance then apply CPR. In addition, if students hurt their heads, monitor their condition, and stay with them until paramedics arrive.
For proper initial emergency response to these and other scenarios, ensure that all your level 2 and 3 early life educators have completed a paediatric first aid course. It’s also recommended that other staff also take this basic course in case teachers aren’t around to apply first aid.
Contact a reliable company that can provide paediatric first aid classes. You can also consider starting a franchise if you have several school branches and want your personnel to have regularly updated first aid training.
Sources:
“First Aid,” NHS.uk
“Paediatric First Aid Requirements in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage,” Gov.uk
“Preventing Accidents in Children Under Five,” PublicHealthMatters.Blog.Gov.uk