Call for first aid training to be introduced in Scottish schools

A first aid company wants to teach vital “life-saving skills” to children across Tayside.

First Stop Safety Training, run by Robyn and Stuart Duffy wants parents to enrol children on the one-hour course.

Currently, first aid training is not required by law in Scottish schools but the pair are seeing a rising demands from parents.

In England, a law to introduce first aid classes into schools will come into effect from 2020.

The Tiny Medics class offers one-hour workshops to children aged three and over, in Dundee and Edinburgh. Younger children will be taught how to call for an ambulance and perform CPR compressions, while older children learn full CPR, burn treatments and anaphylaxis training.

Classes, for which there is a fee, ran over the summer holidays but soaring demand has led to October sessions. Robyn said: “There is a lot of demand because these types of classes are not mandatory in Scotland so a lot of parents tell us that they want to educate their children just in case.

“The kids and their parents love the training. After courses have finished we’ve had parents get in touch with us to tell us their kids have been raving about how useful it’s been.

“It could be potentially lifesaving. Not only does it give kids confidence but it teaches them what to do.

“They may be put in a situation with a loved one where they have to act and these courses allow them to potentially save a life.

“We hope the Scottish Government notices that there is a demand for first aid training in children because we’d love to be able to take it into schools eventually.”