Paediatric & Early Years Ofsted Compliant (Blended)

The full 12-hour Paediatric First Aid qualification, delivered as six hours of online theory followed by one face-to-face practical day. The same certificate as the 2-day classroom course, built around the 2025 Resuscitation Council UK Paediatric Guidelines, with a delivery format built around your rota.

QUALIFICATION: Paediatric and Early Years First Aid (Blended)
DURATION 6hrs online theory + 1 full day F2F (12 learning hours total)DELIVERY Blended: online theory + face-to-face practical at your venueGROUP SIZE Max 12 learners
CERTIFICATE Full Paediatric First Aid / Annex A (identical to the 2-Day classroom course)VALIDITY 3 years AWARDING BODIES Worksafe, FAIB / Nuco on request
Meets   EYFS Statutory Framework 2025 (Annex A), Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, and Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines

Course Overview

A nursery in Greater Manchester preparing for an Ofsted inspection used exactly this approach. Staff had identified gaps in their confidence around CPR and choking response in infants. Using the blended route, each staff member completed the online element individually before attending a focused practical session together. Because the theory had already been covered, more time was available for hands-on scenarios on the practical day. Following training, the setting achieved full paediatric first aid coverage across all sessions, staff reported significantly increased confidence responding to emergencies, and management could clearly evidence training and competency for inspection. The outcome wasn’t just compliance. It was the staff who felt ready to act without hesitation.

For many early years settings, the challenge isn’t whether staff need the full paediatric first aid qualification. It’s finding a delivery format that doesn’t require pulling two members of staff out of ratio for two consecutive full days. This course solves that. It delivers the full 12-hour qualification through six hours of structured online theory, completed at each learner’s own pace, followed by a full day of face-to-face practical training and competency assessment. The qualification is identical to the two-day classroom course; the route is more flexible, and because learners arrive at the practical day having already covered the theory, the entire face-to-face session can be devoted to hands-on practice and the skills that are hardest to build without a trainer in the room. All CPR content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines, published in October 2025.

This course meets the full 12-hour Annex A criteria of the EYFS Statutory Framework (effective 1 September 2025) and satisfies the statutory requirement for the designated first aider who must hold a full PFA qualification. For the fully classroom-based option, see our Paediatric First Aid (2-Day) course. For the 6-hour emergency course that meets the emergency PFA criteria but doesn’t fulfil the full statutory requirement, see our Emergency Paediatric First Aid (1-Day) course.

Course Details

  • Duration: 6 hours online theory, completed before attending, plus 1 full day face-to-face practical training and assessment (12 hours total)
  • Delivery: Blended. Online theory via learning platform, face-to-face practical at your venue
  • Certificate: Accredited full Paediatric First Aid certificate, meeting the 12-hour Annex A criteria of the EYFS Statutory Framework 2025
  • Awarding organisations: Worksafe, FAIB. Nuco is available on request.
  • Validity: 3 years. Annual refresher strongly recommended.
  • Group size: Maximum 12 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone working with infants and children who must meet the full EYFS PFA qualification requirement.

  • Nursery practitioners and early years educators
  • Childminders and childminding assistants
  • Pre-school and playgroup staff
  • Nannies and private childcare providers
  • School staff working with children in early years provision
  • Foster carers and staff supporting children in care settings
  • Any staff member who must be included in EYFS staff-to-child ratios and is required to hold a full PFA qualification

If your setting only needs the 6-hour emergency qualification rather than the full 12-hour PFA certificate, our Emergency Paediatric First Aid course may be more appropriate. Not sure which applies to your setting? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

The Legal Requirement

The EYFS Statutory Framework (effective 1 September 2025) places four specific obligations on early years providers in relation to paediatric first aid that every setting must understand.

  • Paragraph 3.36:   At least one person with a current full PFA certificate consistent with the Annex A criteria must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present, and must accompany children on outings. This is the statutory minimum. It requires the full 12-hour qualification. The 6-hour emergency course doesn’t fulfil this requirement.
  • Paragraph 3.38:   All staff who obtained a level 2 or level 3 qualification since 30 June 2016 must obtain a PFA qualification within three months of starting work to be included in the required staff-to-child ratios. New starters with recent qualifications cannot be counted in ratios until they hold this certificate.
  • Paragraph 3.63:   Whilst children are eating, a member of staff with a valid PFA certificate consistent with Annex A criteria must always be in the room. Given that choking in young children can be completely silent, this requirement reflects a real and serious clinical risk that unprepared staff may not recognise in time.

The Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines reflect the most current evidence on paediatric basic life support and emergency first aid, and every element of this course is built around them, with all CPR and resuscitation content assessed against the current standard in the face-to-face session. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 also place a duty on all employers to make adequate first-aid provision. For early years providers, this obligation sits alongside the EYFS statutory requirements, so the two frameworks reinforce each other rather than one standing in for the other.

Benedict’s Law: What It Means for Your Setting

Introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Royal Assent 20 June 2026), Benedict’s Law requires settings to stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors, provide allergy awareness training for all staff covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response, and use of adrenaline devices, and maintain a policy for supporting children with medical conditions from September 2026. These are statutory requirements, not guidance. Updated statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions is expected from September 2026 and this page will be reviewed at that point.

For early years settings, anaphylaxis response has always been part of the full PFA curriculum. This course ensures that every learner is prepared for both anaphylaxis recognition and adrenaline auto-injector use, which are covered in the online theory module and assessed in the face-to-face practical day, in line with the September 2026 statutory requirements. Read more in our guide: Benedict’s Law: What Schools and Early Years Settings Need to Know.

What Learners Will Be Able to Do

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

  • Assess an emergency situation involving an infant or child and prioritise appropriate action, including using the BBB recognition tool (Behaviour, Breathing, Body colour) introduced in the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Guidelines to spot a deteriorating child before cardiac arrest happens
  • Perform CPR on infants and children to the current 2025 standard: five initial rescue breaths before compressions, a 15:2 compression-to-breath ratio for trained rescuers, and the correct depth and technique for each of the three current age bands (infant: birth to 1 year, child: 1 to 12 years, adolescent: 13 to 18 years)
  • Use an Automated External Defibrillator safely and confidently with infants and children, including selecting paediatric mode where available and correct pad placement by size
  • Respond effectively to choking in infants and children, including back blows and age-appropriate techniques
  • Recognise and manage an unresponsive baby or child, including age-appropriate airway management and the recovery position
  • Respond to anaphylaxis and allergic reactions in infants and children, including adrenaline auto-injector use
  • Recognise and respond to seizures and febrile convulsions
  • Manage asthma attacks and breathing difficulties in children
  • Provide first aid for bleeding, burns, scalds, shock, head injuries, suspected fractures, and soft tissue injuries
  • Recognise signs of serious illness in infants and children, know when to call 999, and understand recording, reporting, and escalation responsibilities as a paediatric first aider

What the Course Covers

All content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines and the EYFS Statutory Framework 2025 Annex A curriculum throughout.

Online theory module (completed before attending)

  • The role and responsibilities of a paediatric first aider
  • Assessing emergency situations: the primary survey and the BBB recognition tool for infants and children
  • CPR theory: what happens during cardiac arrest and how basic life support works under the current 2025 standard
  • Common childhood conditions, illnesses, and medical emergencies
  • Anaphylaxis awareness: recognising and understanding severe allergic reactions
  • Legal responsibilities, recording, and reporting requirements
  • Knowledge checks throughout the online module

Face-to-face practical session (full day)

  • Infant, child, and adolescent CPR: hands-on practice on infant and child manikins, with direct trainer feedback against the current age bands and compression ratios
  • AED use with infants and children, including paediatric mode and pad placement by size
  • Choking in infants and children: back blows and age-appropriate response techniques
  • Unresponsive infant or child: airway management and recovery position
  • Anaphylaxis and allergic reactions, including adrenaline auto-injector practice
  • Seizures and febrile convulsions
  • Asthma and breathing difficulties
  • Bleeding, burns, scalds, and shock
  • Head injuries, fractures, and soft tissue injuries
  • Recognising serious illness
  • Scenario-based casualty simulations covering real early years emergencies
  • Continuous practical competency assessment throughout the day

Every course is also built to include your setting’s Individual Healthcare Plans, safeguarding procedures, and incident reporting systems as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

Step 1: Online theory. Learners access the online module through our learning platform and complete six hours of theory at their own pace, including knowledge checks throughout. Completion of the online element is mandatory before attending the face-to-face session. This isn’t optional. Learners who haven’t completed the online module won’t be admitted to the practical day.

Step 2: Face-to-face practical training. A full day of instructor-led, practical, scenario-based training and assessment delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Because the theory has been completed in advance, the entire day is devoted to hands-on practice, scenario work, and competency assessment. Every learner practises CPR on infant and child manikins, as required by Annex A of the EYFS Statutory Framework, and is assessed throughout the day by a qualified instructor.

Step 3: Assessment and certification. Practical competency is assessed continuously throughout the face-to-face day. Learners who successfully complete both elements receive an accredited full Paediatric First Aid certificate valid for 3 years.

Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner receives sufficient hands-on practice time and individual feedback. We adapt every session to your setting, your safeguarding procedures, and the ages of children you care for, including your internal incident recording and reporting procedures, your safeguarding policies and escalation routes, and scheduling to suit your operational requirements, including working around ratios and shift patterns. Combined delivery with Emergency Paediatric First Aid is also available for settings wanting to train their full team at different qualification levels.

Blended, Classroom, or Emergency Paediatric First Aid?

Paediatric First Aid Blended (this course): Delivers the same accredited full Paediatric First Aid certificate as the 2-day classroom course, through six hours of online theory completed at each learner’s own pace, followed by one full day of face-to-face practical training and assessment. The qualification is identical. The difference is delivery: settings that struggle to release two members of staff for two consecutive full days, or where staff prefer to complete theory individually before a focused practical day, tend to find this route works better operationally.

Paediatric First Aid (2-Day) Classroom: The same qualification delivered across two consecutive full days, entirely face-to-face. Right for settings that prefer all training delivered in person, or where staff don’t have reliable access to online learning.

Both routes deliver the full 12-hour qualification required for the designated first aider under paragraph 3.36. If your setting only needs additional staff trained in emergency response, rather than the full statutory qualification, our Emergency Paediatric First Aid (1-Day) course may be more appropriate. Our Paediatric First Aid (2-Day) page covers that comparison in full.

We don’t make that determination for you; the responsibility sits with you. But we do provide guidance throughout the enquiry process.

Certification and Validity

On successful completion of both the online and face-to-face elements, learners receive an accredited full Paediatric First Aid certificate valid for 3 years, delivered through Worksafe or FAIB. Nuco is available on request.

The EYFS Statutory Framework recommends that providers consider whether annual refresher training is needed during the three-year certification period to maintain basic skills. Given how quickly CPR technique deteriorates without practice, building annual refreshers into the setting’s CPD calendar is strongly recommended. Our Basic Life Support and AED Training course provides a focused annual skills update between full requalification cycles.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we find out about your setting: the ages of children in your care, your Individual Healthcare Plans, your incident reporting procedures, and the specific emergencies your team is most likely to face. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a nursery, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. The training reflects the emergencies they’ll actually face.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the settings and organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on qualification level and delivery format at the enquiry stage. If a different course or route is a better fit, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 12 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Does this blended course meet EYFS requirements?

Yes. This course meets the full 12-hour Annex A criteria of the EYFS Statutory Framework (effective 1 September 2025). It satisfies the requirement for the designated first aider, who must hold a full PFA qualification and be on the premises at all times when children are present. The 6 hours of online theory combined with the full day of face-to-face practical training meet both the duration requirement and the face-to-face delivery requirement set out in Annex A.

Must learners complete the online module before attending?

Yes, without exception. The online module, including the knowledge checks, must be completed in full before learners can attend the face-to-face session. Both elements are required for the full 12-hour qualification, and learners who haven’t completed the online element won’t be admitted to the practical day.

Is the qualification the same as the two-day classroom course?

Yes. Learners receive the same accredited full Paediatric First Aid certificate, valid for three years, regardless of whether they completed the standard two-day classroom course or the blended route. The qualification is identical. The route is more flexible.

Is Ofsted approval required for this course?

Ofsted doesn’t operate a formal approval scheme for training providers or individual courses. What Ofsted expects during inspection is that providers meet the EYFS requirements for staff competence, safeguarding, and first aid provision. This course is structured to meet those requirements and provides clear, auditable evidence of the full PFA qualification that inspectors look for.

Further Reading

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size, the ages of children in your care, your location, and your preferred dates. We’ll come back with a quote and any advice on qualification level or delivery format if you need it.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with children and vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from the Department for Education, the Resuscitation Council UK, and current UK legislation, including the EYFS Statutory Framework (effective 1 September 2025), the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, and the Childcare Act 2006. All CPR and resuscitation content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines, published in October 2025. Course content reflects the statutory allergy requirements introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, effective September 2026, and will be reviewed when updated DfE guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions is published.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects the EYFS Statutory Framework (effective 1 September 2025), current UK health and safety legislation, Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Paediatric Life Support Guidelines, and the statutory allergy requirements introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (effective September 2026) at the date of review. It does not constitute legal advice. This blended course meets the full 12-hour Paediatric First Aid qualification criteria set out in Annex A of the EYFS Statutory Framework 2025 and satisfies the statutory requirement for the designated first aider who must hold a full PFA qualification consistent with those criteria. Both the online and face-to-face elements must be completed for the qualification to be awarded. Early years providers remain responsible for ensuring their first aid arrangements, allergy policies, Individual Healthcare Plans, and staff training comply with the EYFS Statutory Framework, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, DfE guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions (2015, with updated guidance expected September 2026), and all applicable legislation, including the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Where compliance advice is needed, providers should seek independent guidance.

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