First aid training

All permanent staff at both Rushmore House Montessori and Orpington Montessori Preschool have been trained in Pediatric First Aid and Epi-pen.
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Some of our new teachers need to be trained and our established staff's certificates were coming up for renewal. So we decided to run our own First Aid course at Rushmore House with a First Aid trainer. Because we organised the course ourselves we were able to tailor it to the needs of our preschools. This included instruction on how to use an Epi-pen and an emphasis on treating choking, CPR and anaphylaxis. We have been running our own in-house training for all of our staff since November 2004.

​The EYFS states that only one person on the premises needs to be trained in Pediatric First Aid. But what if that person it not immediately available? What if they were in the outdoor play area when the emergency was in the classroom or hidden away in a storeroom? Vital seconds could be lost trying to locate the first aider.  We decided to train all our staff not just to ensure that we met the EYFS requirements but so that all staff in close contact with the children would be able to provide immediate assistance to a child in need.