
First aid training is now a mandatory requirement for nurseries operating in the UK. You need to ensure that your institution has sufficient numbers of people who can assist children during a medical emergency (including when kids are unconscious).
However, finding these training courses can be challenging. You know you need them for regulatory and safety reasons, but knowing who to go to is challenging. Many of these agencies are hard to find, and you don’t always know whether a particular option offers high-quality training unless you know another nursery that is already using it.
That’s where this guide can help. It runs through the best 5 first aid training providers currently available and why you should use them:
- Blithfield Safety
Topping our list is Blithfield Safety, one of the most impressive independent operators out there. This organisation is well-known for providing participants with valuable experience that enables them to deliver high-power assistance in challenging situations. Staff go beyond box-ticking and feel equipped to deal with difficult circumstances, whenever they arise.
We like how Blithfield Safety is always conscious and respectful of participants’ time. The provider goes the extra mile to use time efficiently, avoiding overruns, which plagues many educational agencies.
For this reason, the outfit can deliver courses on-site (reducing the need to transport staff off-site), and it is a time of your choosing which, again, is a nice touch that you don’t always see.
Blithfield believes that good health and safety practice makes management sense. It knows that losses from injured children can be extreme for nurseries and potentially put them out of business. Often, all that’s required is some basic training to dramatically reduce liability and ensure kids remain safe.
First aid is also critical. Therefore, all Blithfield Safety’s courses include a combination of theory and practical work, each supporting the other.
- Tigerlily First Aid Training
Number two in this review is Tigerlily First Aid Training. Again, this provider offers a hybrid course with six hours online and six hours in person. This setup offers what Tigerlily believes is the minimal amount of time required to learn the essentials of paediatric first aid (which differs substantially from regular adult first aid).
Tigerlily’s course provides all the skills necessary to respond to paediatric health emergencies of various kinds, including for infants. Courses meet EYFS statutory requirements and allow participants to complete modules at their own pace, before attending face-to-face sessions. Tigerlily sets things up this way to give participants a head start for the practical sessions, which allows them to get the most out of them.
Certification is available on completion. Tigerlily provides certificates that are valid for three years and meet OFSTED and Ofqual guidance for 2025.
What’s nice about this course is simply how affordable it is. Training is just £95 plus VAT per person in London, and then slightly more for nurseries outside the M25 motorway. Tigerlily provides all preparatory information required for the practical element of the course ahead of time, including what to wear and how to meet workplace requirements.
- St John Ambulance
St John Ambulance offers all sorts of services, but we thought its paediatric first aid course for nurseries and pre-school was worth mentioning here, too, given the brand’s gravitas. St John Ambulance works alongside the Early Years Alliance to provide its course to a high standard and ensure staff receive the training they need. As with the other options on this list, the course meets EYFS statutory frameworks required by OFSTED.
The course, as with Tigerlily and Blithfield, comes in two parts, and participants must complete both. The first part is online and self-directed, with modules that staff can take at their own pace. Training, according to St John Ambulance, must occur within 6 weeks prior to training, which may be a little short for some people.
The second part is the face-to-face session. This involves staff participating in small groups with a specialist trainer to learn about how to administer first aid to kids in distress or emergencies.
But is this option any good? Well, this option is unusual in that it includes insurance, meaning staff can use their skills beyond the workplace. For this reason, it may be worth considering.
- MyCPR NOW
MyCPR NOW is a fourth option for nursery staff working with children. It goes into detail about how your people should respond immediately and to prevent further injury (which is a substantial risk in many nursery settings).
MyCPR NOW’s course covers things like fractures and sprains, allergic reactions, and dealing with wounds. It also provides specialist training on choking, which is a common occurrence in nurseries with kids under 5, and CPR, including chest compressions and AED usage
MyCPR NOW’s claim to fame is that it gives staff the confidence they need to deal with emergency situations decisively. Team members leave the course feeling emotionally equipped to deal with the most challenging situations, including a child who has become unconscious. It also highlights the value of an emergency response in childcare situations, telling participants that every second counts.
- PACEY
Finally, we have PACEY, a longstanding provider in the sector. Like other brands on this list, it helps nurseries get the staff training they need to meet their statutory requirements. The outfit delivers courses for childcare professionals and works with numerous training providers throughout England, including Tigerlily.
It says that most nurseries are essentially playing a waiting game, and don’t know when they will need first aid training. However, it is virtually guaranteed that they will at some point, which is why it is so keen on delivering courses more broadly. Training uses Tigerlily specialists and covers everything required by OFSTED and EYFS standards.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you if you’re in the hunt for the ultimate first aid training for nurseries. Make your choice carefully, providers can differ substantially in quality. Always check whoever you use has the proper accreditations from registered bodies and statutory authorities.