Petition · past parliament
Make Basic First Aid a Mandatory Part of the Secondary School Curriculum
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Making basic first aid mandatory during secondary school would equip the current generation with essential skills and potentially save many lives a year. Only 7% of the population is confident to carry out basic first aid, this percentage would increase dramatically if first aid was made mandatory.
Two months ago, I had a seizure at school and there was no first aider nearby so help didn't arrive for 5 minutes. Luckily, my 2 close friends have had experience of my seizures; they were the only people who knew what to in the room. What could have happened if they weren't there?
The curriculum should include, but not be limited to education on:
CPR/defibrillator
Recovery position
Treating wounds/burns
Heimlich maneuveur
Helping someone having a stroke
Common chronic health conditions
The curriculum should include, but not be limited to education on:
CPR/defibrillator
Recovery position
Treating wounds/burns
Heimlich maneuveur
Helping someone having a stroke
Common chronic health conditions
Why it was rejected
The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.
The Government's new Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education curriculum requires that all students be taught first aid in primary and secondary schools. For secondary school students, the curriculum states that students should know:
• basic treatment for common injuries.
• life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR.
• the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.
You can read the full Relationships Education, Relationships and
Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education curriculum here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908013/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf
We could accept a petition calling for the Government to add to the list of things schools should teach students about as part of teaching them first aid, but it would need to be clear what new content you wanted to be added.
We have published the following related petition, which you might like to sign:
Make Health Education a compulsory separate subject in all schools: Make Health Education a compulsory separate subject in all schools.
• basic treatment for common injuries.
• life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR.
• the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.
You can read the full Relationships Education, Relationships and
Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education curriculum here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908013/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf
We could accept a petition calling for the Government to add to the list of things schools should teach students about as part of teaching them first aid, but it would need to be clear what new content you wanted to be added.
We have published the following related petition, which you might like to sign:
Make Health Education a compulsory separate subject in all schools: Make Health Education a compulsory separate subject in all schools.
Timeline
| 25 Jun 2022 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 30 Jun 2022 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
30 Jun 2022
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.