Labour MP Julie Hilling is leading a debate at Westminster in which she will call for first aid to be included in the school curriculum. This is particularly welcome news as First Rate Training have actively sought to deliver First Aid training to schools throughout the UK.
19% of European countries to have already embraced compulsory first aid education in schools. Every year, 150,000 people die in situations in which first aid could have made a difference. Just seven per cent of the UK population feel they would have the skills to help someone in an emergency.
As Ms Hilling has recognised, schools can provide an ideal forum for learning life-saving skills. Research has shown that children as young as five could learn practical skills which could prove life saving in the event of a first aid emergency.
The debate will highlight a very important point: that education isn’t – and shouldn’t be – just about reading, writing and learning by rote the names of historical figures. At its core, education is also about learning practical, useful skills that will serve a greater purpose in society.
