Hands on experience of First Aid

Eighteen Ark William Parker Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) students led a First Aid event which involved the academy’s Year 7 students. The students set up ten activities ranging from a simple cut to the recovery position and CPR. They taught basic first aid to Year 7 pupils and assisted and guided the boys who were actively engaged, practicing their training on each other. Nick Burchell who organised the event says there was a real buzz of excitement with students keen to try a new skill and apply it in a mocked-up situation. “The First Aid session is one of our Parker 10 events,” he said. “Ten activities that we feel will enrich and benefit our students outside the normal curriculum. It was fantastic to see the maturity of the older boys in their delivery and the engagement and enthusiasm of younger students being mentored by older students.”

Year 10 student Quinn said: “It’s been really good. The Year 7s showed great enthusiasm and interacted with us as leaders. “They stop me around the school, they remember me as I led their activities. All they talk about is how much they enjoyed it and what they learned about first aid on the day.”

At the end of the session Year 10 students presented Year 7 students with participation certificates. The learning achieved from this session will be followed up next year as Year 8 students within their PSHE programme.