On Tuesday, March 25th. a Year 5 class from the school were lucky enough to receive professional first aid training from Naomi Evans from the SCS Railways Engagement team. In November 2023 Naomi launched the First Aid in Schools scheme which aims at providing essential lifesaving skills to the local community. She has extensive experience in both the Police and Ambulance Service and is passionate about equipping children and adults with the tools to respond to emergencies. This initiative became particularly relevant after First Aid was made a statutory part of the National Curriculum in 2020.
Initially focused on primary school children aged from 3 – 11, the scheme offers age-appropriate training to classes of 30-35 children along with their teachers. To date, 1,700 individuals have received training, with the success of the programme enabling SCS to expand its offerings. Paediatric First Aid Drop-In sessions have been held at local schools for parents and carers and training is also being provided for Residents’ Associations. Several other local schools who have already benefited from the programme include Bishop Winnington Ingram C of E Primary, Whiteheath Infants and Warrender Primary.
The sessions cover a variety of important topics, including danger awareness, how to call for help, managing medical conditions such as asthma, allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. Older students are also taught life-saving skills such as CPR and defibrillator use. At the end of their session the Year 5 pupils were able to familiarise themselves with common equipment found in medical settings such as blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters and stethoscopes and use them on their friends so that if used on them in future this would eliminate any anxiety they might experience.
Throughout the session all the pupils were totally engaged and revealed that many did already have some first aid knowledge. Naomi made their experience fun while providing them with lifesaving knowledge which was totally appropriate for their age.
The Headteacher from a local primary school that Naomi had visited at the end of last year, later informed her that a Year 1 pupil who had attended her session was proof of how valuable her work is.
Naomi and the Year 5 Class
His mother had a fit at home and collapsed on the floor. He ran to get help from his next door neighbour. When later asked how he knew what to do, he replied: “I learnt it at school.”
Looking ahead, Naomi is eager to expand the scheme’s reach to secondary school and college students. This will allow older students to gain practical skills that will benefit them both in their future careers and everyday life. The Ruislip Residents’ Association wish Naomi continued success for the future.
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