Year 6 pupils from Barnard Castle Preparatory School were taught how to tackle a variety of scenarios including when people collapse, suffer an asthma attack, are in shock, experience bleeds and choking.
Pupils were taught how to make the scene safe, call for help, check airways, conduct CPR and put patients in the recovery position.
A few years ago pupils from Barnard Castle Senior School helped an elderly man who had collapsed in the street using the skills they had learned at Prep School.
Children spent the day with Andy Clarke, from the First Aid Training Academy, honing their life-saving skills and were awarded a Mini Medics certificate at the end of the course.
Mr Clarke told them: “When someone has a cardiac arrest they are clinically dead so you cannot do anything wrong and anything you do will give them a fighting chance of survival. By doing CPR you are pumping the blood around and keeping their brain alive.”
The first aid course forms part of the school’s unique Achievement Award, which is designed to be a less stressful, more diverse and enriching alternative to SATs.
Pupils were shown the ‘DR ABC’ approach to first aid. This stands for Danger, Response, Airways, Breathing and CPR and can be used on anyone who collapses or is injured.
They also learned how to call for help, including dialling 999, 112 and 111, how to use a defibrillator, how to deal with choking, bleeds, dressings, asthma and shock.
Teacher Katie Shearn said: “The importance of the mini medics day has been proved in recent years when some senior school pupils saved an elderly gentlemen with the skills they had developed at Prep School.
“We have had great feedback from pupils’ own homes. When they went to look for the home first aid kit many found that they were being stored in inaccessible places, such as high shelves at the back of cupboards, so parents have now made them easier to reach.
“I am absolutely certain that if any of our children found themselves in an emergency situation they would use the skills they have learned to make a real difference. It really is life-saving.”
Mr Clarke added: “The pupils have been amazing and picked up all the techniques really quickly. They are more likely to react appropriately than adults who are held back by their own fears while the children just have a go and are more methodical in their thinking.”
