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How I did it
Local hero
Secondary teacher and NUT member Ashraf Uddin tells The Teacher about his BBC 999 Award, which he won for promoting first aid in schools and his community.
I received my BBC 999 Award for my voluntary work for St John Ambulance for the past 13 years and because I teach first aid to primary school children. On average I do 600 hours voluntary work a year for St John Ambulance on top of my job as a design and technology teacher at the Warren School, Chadwell Heath, Essex.
I am also the Director of Learning Phases. This means I visit local primary schools to help pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school. I talk to them about what to expect at secondary school, the importance of charity and community work and give them some first aid training at the same time.
Like me, my head teacher believes first aid is very important and is supportive of my approach. I believe it is vital to equip the next generation with invaluable life skills by teaching them first aid in schools.
You can never be too young to learn first aid and St John Ambulance research shows that over 70 per cent of school children would like to be taught some basic lifesaving skills. Many pupils have expressed interest in first aid being part of the school curriculum. I think it should be compulsory, especially since up to 150,000 people die each year in situations where first aid could have given them a chance of survival.
When I visit schools, I take an ambulance with me. I’ll turn on the blue light and show pupils round the ambulance and its equipment. They get to see the AED (automated external defibrillator) machine, a grab bag, which holds a blood pressure machine, a pulse oximeter and bandages.
It’s a real eye opener for pupils. They’re keen to find out more about the equipment and to learn about first aid. We also spend time building an ambulance out of card, which they love as well.
I show them how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when someone stops breathing, and more basic skills, for example how to deal with a nosebleed or what to do when someone faints. I talk about the importance of dialling 999 correctly and not making prank calls and we do a scripted role-play where pupils pretend to be a 999 caller/operator.
At the Warren School I’m organising an after-school club to teach first aid and encourage young people to volunteer in their spare time, not just to benefit charities but for their own personal growth and progression. For me, first aid is empowering and can give people the chance to play a role in their community.
What is a BBC 999 award?
The BBC 999 Awards aim to acknowledge the heroic acts that the officers and volunteers of the emergency services perform on a daily basis.
Visit
www.sja.org.uk for school first aid course materials.
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