A new poll has found that the UK is falling behind many other European countries when it comes to training youngsters in life-saving first aid skills.
The poll, undertaken by ICM last January, found that just one fifth (20 per cent) of secondary school students in England and Wales had undergone some form of first aid training in the classroom. This is despite the fact that many youngsters want to learn first aid, according to first aid charity the Red Cross. The charity’s Head of Policy, Research and Advocacy, Jonathan Ellis, said:
“Young people themselves are keen to learn first aid. Findings show that 91 per cent of students would like to learn first aid in schools.”
Mr Ellis also commented on the fact that in its recently published details of the revamped curriculum for English schools, the government did not make any mention of first aid training. Many organisations, including the Red Cross, have been campaigning for first aid courses to be included as a compulsory part of school curriculums, but the government does not seem to have heeded their message. Mr Ellis added:
“We fear that the decision by government to ignore our calls today, will rob the nation of a generation of responsible life-savers in the future.”
