Knutsford and the surrounding area are home to a wonderful variety of early years settings. Traditional nurseries in the town centre. Small pre-schools in village halls. Forest schools that take children outdoors in all weathers. Childminders working from their own homes. And a growing number of independent settings that offer something a bit different, from Montessori approaches to nature-based learning.
Whatever your setting looks like, the first aid requirements are the same. If you are registered with Ofsted and you care for children in the early years, you must have at least one person on the premises at all times who holds a current paediatric first aid qualification. And the quality of that training matters just as much as the certificate on the wall.
We are PCT Services, and we deliver Qualsafe Awards accredited paediatric first aid training from our training centre at First Floor, 2 Queen Street in Northwich, just a 15 minute drive from Knutsford. We work with early years settings of all types and sizes.
Understanding the EYFS requirement
The Early Years Foundation Stage framework is clear. Every EYFS setting must have at least one person with a full paediatric first aid qualification present at all times when children are in the setting. For larger settings with multiple rooms or areas, you will likely need more than one trained person to ensure coverage throughout.
Ofsted inspectors check this as standard. They look at the qualifications held, the issuing body, and the expiry date. If your certificates have lapsed or if you cannot demonstrate adequate paediatric first aid cover, it will be flagged.
The requirement applies equally to a large nursery in the centre of Knutsford and a childminder working from a cottage in a nearby village. The children's safety is the same regardless of the size or style of the setting.
Courses for different settings
Paediatric First Aid (2 Day)
This is the full Level 3 qualification that meets EYFS requirements. It combines one day of e-learning with one day of practical classroom training. The course is comprehensive, covering infant and child CPR, choking management for babies and children, burns, scalds, febrile convulsions, anaphylaxis, meningitis awareness, head injuries, fractures, bleeding, bites and stings, and more.
This is the qualification Ofsted expects to see. It costs £95 plus VAT per person, the certificate is valid for three years, and groups can be up to 12.
Paediatric First Aid (2 Day) *OFSTED & EYFS*
This Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) is a regulated and nationally recognised qualification which is OFSTED and EYFS compliant. Your trainer is a Registered Nurse with many years of clinical experience within Emergency Departments who trains Advanced Paediatric Life Support to medical and nursing staff in acute hospital environments.
Northwich Training Centre, Northwich
3 spots left · 4 dates available
Emergency Paediatric First Aid (1 Day)
This one day course covers the core paediatric emergencies and is suitable for settings where the full two day course is not required, or for additional staff who support the lead first aider. It is also the course most childminders choose. It costs £75 plus VAT, with a three year certificate and groups of up to 12.
Emergency Paediatric First Aid
The Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF) is a regulated and nationally recognised qualification. Your trainer is a Registered Nurse with many years of clinical experience within Emergency Departments who trains Advanced Paediatric Life Support to medical and nursing staff in acute hospital environments.
Combined Emergency First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid
This course gives your staff both adult and paediatric first aid qualifications from a single package. It is particularly useful for settings that also employ adult staff, have parents on the premises regularly, or run activities where adults and children are both present. It starts from £95 plus VAT per person, with a three year certificate.
Combined EFAW & Paediatric First Aid
This combined Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) and Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF) is a regulated and nationally recognised qualification and is HSE, OFSTED and EYFS compliant. Your trainer is a Registered Nurse with years of experience in Emergency Departments who trains Advanced Life and Advanced Paediatric Support to medical and nursing staff in acute hospital environments.
Training for forest schools and outdoor settings
Knutsford's rural surroundings make it a natural area for forest schools and outdoor early years provision. These settings carry some additional considerations for first aid. Children are outdoors, often in muddy, uneven, and unpredictable environments. They are climbing, exploring, and interacting with nature in ways that increase the risk of certain injuries, including cuts from branches, insect stings and bites, allergic reactions to plants, falls from height, and exposure to cold or heat.
All of these are covered in our paediatric first aid courses. But for forest school practitioners, the training feels particularly relevant because these scenarios are not hypothetical. They are part of your daily reality. Practising how to manage a choking child when you are standing in a muddy field with no treatment room nearby is exactly the kind of preparation that makes a difference.
How many trained staff do you need?
The minimum is one person on the premises at all times. But practical reality usually requires more. Consider what happens when your trained first aider is on a toilet break. When they are off sick. When they are dealing with one child's injury and another child has an emergency at the same time. When you take children on an outing and need a first aider to go with them while maintaining cover at the setting.
For a small setting with three or four staff, having at least two people trained gives you a realistic buffer. For a larger nursery, you should aim for at least one trained first aider per room or area, plus additional cover for outings and absences.
Stagger your training dates so that certificates do not all expire at the same time. If you trained three staff together three years ago, they will all expire together, and you could be left with a compliance gap.
Just 15 minutes away
Our training centre at First Floor, 2 Queen Street in Northwich is about a 15 minute drive from Knutsford. We run scheduled paediatric first aid courses throughout the year. Check the live dates on our Paediatric First Aid page, our Emergency Paediatric First Aid page, or our Combined Emergency First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid page.
We can also deliver on site at your Knutsford setting. We bring all the equipment, including infant and child manikins, and set up wherever works best. This is ideal for training your whole team together.
Book your training
If you run an early years setting in Knutsford and you need to get your paediatric first aid sorted, check the upcoming dates on our course pages and book directly. Or give us a call on 07958 915146 and we will help you work out the right training for your team. The children in your care are counting on you.
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