Paediatric First Aid (Level 3) at Your Workplace

What this course is — and why your setting needs it

The Paediatric First Aid (Level 3) is the full, statutory paediatric first aid qualification that the EYFS statutory framework (Department for Education) requires early years providers to hold. It leads to the Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF), awarded by Qualsafe Awards — an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation — and maps directly to the requirements set out in EYFS Annex A.

The qualification covers a much wider range of scenarios than the one-day Emergency Paediatric First Aid course. Across two full days of hands-on training your team gains the knowledge and practical competence to manage everything from infant CPR and choking through to childhood illness, fractures, burns and anaphylaxis — the complete picture of what can go wrong in an early years environment.

From 1 September 2025, the DfE requires staff to hold a valid, current PFA certificate in order to be counted in the statutory staff-to-child ratios. Staff without a current qualification are supernumerary. Keeping certificates in date is no longer just good practice — it directly affects whether you can open on a given day.

Who should attend Paediatric First Aid (Level 3)?

This course is the right choice for anyone whose role requires them to be the nominated, on-premises paediatric first aider under EYFS rules. Typical attendees include:

• Nursery practitioners, room leaders and nursery managers
• Pre-school and playgroup staff
• Registered childminders (mandatory to register with Ofsted) and childminding assistants
• Nannies and au pairs seeking a recognised, formal qualification
• After-school and holiday club supervisors working with EYFS-age children
• School staff in nursery or reception classes (EYFS settings within schools)

If you are a newly hired Level 2 or Level 3 childcare practitioner who needs to count in ratios within your first three months, the one-day Emergency Paediatric First Aid course may provide a faster route into ratios — but it is not sufficient for the designated on-premises PFA role. Your trainer can help you decide which qualification fits your current situation.

What your team will be able to do

The syllabus covers the full scope of EYFS Annex A. By the end of both days, each learner will be able to:

Life support — infants and children

• Carry out a primary survey (DR ABC) on an infant or child and call 999 or 112 correctly
• Place an unresponsive child or infant safely into the recovery position
• Deliver paediatric CPR: 5 initial rescue breaths then 15:2 compressions-to-breaths (Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines), at the correct depth for each age group
• Operate an AED safely on a child, including correct pad placement
• Manage a choking infant (back blows and chest thrusts — never abdominal thrusts on an infant) and a choking child (back blows and abdominal thrusts)

Bleeding, shock and wounds

• Control minor and severe bleeding, dress wounds and manage shock in a young casualty
• Recognise signs of internal bleeding and know when to summon emergency help

Bone, muscle and head injuries

• Identify suspected fractures, dislocations and sprains in children, and manage them safely without causing further harm
• Recognise potential head, neck and spinal injuries and support the casualty correctly until help arrives

Burns, scalds and electric shock

• Treat minor and serious burns and scalds — including cool-water first aid and recognising when hospital assessment is required
• Make the scene safe and manage a child who has received an electric shock

Allergic reactions and medical emergencies

• Recognise anaphylaxis in a child and administer an adrenaline auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) correctly
• Support a child during an asthma attack and know when to escalate to 999
• Recognise and respond to febrile convulsions and other seizures
• Identify warning signs of meningitis and sepsis in young children — and act fast
• Manage a diabetic emergency (hypo or hyperglycaemia) in a child
• Respond to croup and other acute breathing difficulties

Poisons, eye, ear and environmental hazards

• Manage a child who has swallowed a harmful substance or has a foreign body in the eye, ear or nose
• Treat bites and stings and respond to the effects of extreme heat and cold

Record-keeping and infection control

• Complete accurate incident records (including RIDDOR awareness), maintain infection control throughout and protect yourself and the child from cross-contamination

How the two days run

Training is delivered entirely at your setting by one of our experienced instructors, who brings all equipment. There are no external venues to travel to and no fixed timetable imposed on your working day — we schedule around your shift pattern and opening hours.

Each day follows a similar rhythm: a brief introduction to the topic, followed by extended hands-on practice using infant manikins, child manikins, AED trainers and scenario props. The emphasis is firmly on doing, not watching. Your trainer adapts the scenarios to the layout and everyday hazards of your own setting — so learners practise skills in the context that actually matters to them.

The two days build progressively. Day one typically covers life support, airway management, bleeding and shock. Day two moves into childhood illness, injuries, burns, allergic reactions and record-keeping. Continuous informal check-ins ensure the group stays together and no one falls behind.

Groups of up to 12 people can be trained in a single course. Larger teams can be split across multiple sessions, arranged to minimise disruption to your staffing levels.

Assessment and your certificate

There is no exam paper to revise for the night before. Assessment is continuous: your trainer observes practical performance throughout both days, noting competence at each skill. A short knowledge check at the end confirms understanding of the key theory — it is straightforward for anyone who has attended and engaged with the course.

Successful learners receive the Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF), issued by Qualsafe Awards. Certificates are:

• Valid for three years from the date of issue
• Accepted by Ofsted as evidence of compliance with EYFS paediatric first aid requirements
• Recognised by the DfE and HSE and accepted by UK insurers

There is no shortened requalification route for this level — when the three years are up, the full two-day course must be repeated. We recommend booking the renewal well in advance of the expiry date to avoid any gap in statutory cover.

Why train Paediatric First Aid (Level 3) on site at your workplace?

Sending staff to an external public course involves travel time, mileage costs and a room full of strangers — and still costs money per head. Our on-site model is different in every respect that matters to a busy nursery manager:

EYFS and the legal requirement

The EYFS Statutory Framework (DfE) is the primary legal driver for paediatric first aid in nurseries and early years settings in England. Key points every setting manager should know:

• At least one person holding a current, full PFA certificate must be on the premises and available at all times children are present — this is the "on-premises-at-all-times" duty.
• That same qualified person must also accompany children on outings.
• From 1 September 2025, a member of staff must hold a valid PFA certificate to count towards the statutory staff-to-child ratios. Those without a current certificate are supernumerary — they count towards your numbers on paper but not in law.
• Staff gaining a Level 2 or Level 3 childcare qualification on or after 30 June 2016 must obtain a full or emergency PFA certificate within three months of starting to count in ratios.
• A First Aid at Work (FAW) certificate does not satisfy the EYFS paediatric requirement — the EYFS specifically requires paediatric content covering infants and children, mapped to Annex A.

Childminders in England must hold a current full paediatric first aid certificate to register with Ofsted. Renewal must happen before the certificate expires — there is no grace period guaranteed across all settings.