Planning a first aid INSET day for your school

Why INSET days work

Training on an INSET day means no supply cover, no rota juggling and no pulling staff out of lessons. It also means a whole staff team learns the same skills and the same language for emergencies at the same time, which is exactly what you want when something happens in the playground.

What the rules say

The Department for Education's guidance on first aid in schools doesn't set fixed numbers of first aiders. Like any employer, a school carries out a first aid needs assessment, taking account of staff, pupils, visitors, the site, off-site activities and pupils' medical needs.

Early years is stricter. Under the EYFS statutory framework, at least one person with a current full paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present, and must go with children on outings. That includes reception classes in primary schools. Newly qualified early years staff with level 2 or 3 qualifications also need a paediatric first aid certificate to count in staff-to-child ratios.

Schools also have a duty under the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions to make sure staff are properly trained to support pupils with conditions such as asthma, anaphylaxis, epilepsy and diabetes. Schools are allowed to hold spare salbutamol inhalers and spare adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use, and staff need to know how and when to use them.

Since 2023, every state-funded school in England has been provided with at least one defibrillator. Staff need to know where it is and feel confident using it.

Matching courses to roles

EYFS and reception staff: Paediatric First Aid (two days) gives the full certificate EYFS requires. It's also the most relevant course for primary teaching assistants and lunchtime supervisors.

Designated first aiders, PE staff, science and DT technicians, and site staff, especially in secondary schools: First Aid at Work (three days) or Emergency First Aid at Work (one day), depending on your needs assessment.

Designated safeguarding leads, pastoral teams and heads of year: Youth Mental Health First Aid (two days), which covers young people aged 8 to 18 and links to your safeguarding procedures.

Whole staff awareness of mental health: Mental Health Aware, a half-day session that fits easily into an INSET day alongside other training.

Fitting courses into the day

A one-day course such as Emergency First Aid at Work fits a normal INSET day with breaks and lunch. Two- and three-day courses won't fit in one day. Run them across two INSET days, or ask us about other ways to split them, as the awarding body sets rules on how courses can be spread out.

Each first aid trainer can take up to 12 learners, so practical skills get proper attention and everyone is assessed fairly. If you want to train 48 staff on the same day, that means four groups, four trainers and four rooms.

Rooms, kit and learners

Each group needs a room with clear floor space for CPR practice, plus chairs and a screen for the theory sessions. A hall can work for more than one group if it's big enough to separate them. Let us know about parking or access for bringing in manikins and equipment.

Send us a list of names exactly as they should appear on certificates. The practical assessments include CPR on a manikin on the floor, so tell us in advance about anyone who is pregnant, has a mobility issue or may need adjustments, and we'll plan around them.

Make it about your school

Tell us about the medical conditions you have in school, where your defibrillator and emergency medicines are kept, and how your emergency procedures work. Good training uses realistic scenarios from your own setting, such as an asthma attack on the field, an allergic reaction at lunch or a fall on the stairs, rather than generic office examples.

After the day

Certificates last three years. Add them to your training record and set reminders well before they expire. If you can, avoid training everyone on the same date, so that your whole team doesn't need renewing in the same term. Update your first aid notices and needs assessment so that everyone knows who is trained.

We come to you

Our clinician trainers deliver on site in schools and nurseries across London and Hertfordshire. Book a free call and we'll put together a plan for your INSET days.