Finding a time and a place for your club

Location

• Find a room with enough space for all the students to attend and take part in practical activities safely.
• Take opportunities to move the club outside of its usual meeting space. For example, in the playground or playing fields. This can get students thinking about first aid in different situations.
• Having a 'special' meeting space, such as a room reserved for older students, could help with promoting the club.

Time

• It's important to find a suitable time to hold your first aid club. It could be at lunch time, after school, or as part of a breakfast club. Try to avoid holding your club at the same time as other clubs.
• If you're holding your club at lunchtime, think about whether your club members will have enough time to eat their lunch.
• If you're holding your club after school, think about the transport arrangements of club members. For example, in the winter they might end up walking home alone in the dark.
• Some clubs run for 35 minutes, others are over an hour. It depends on where and when your club is held, but try to make it as accessible as possible for members to be involved.

First aid activities

Use our free first aid teaching resources to develop medium (one term) and short (one or two week) term plans.

Here's how to make the most out of each session:

• Consider how different first aid topics link to the school curriculum.
• Take a thematic approach. For example, you could pair 'keeping safe' with 'communication and casualty care'.
• Focus on helping students build particular skills sets, such as leadership, team work, and confidence.
• Plan a practical activity each week - look at our teaching resources for ideas.
• Invite students to lead a session if they have experience of a particular topic, such as asthma.

Fundraising activities

St John Ambulance is a charity. There are lots of fun ways your first aid club can fundraise for St John Ambulance.

Funds raised by school groups and clubs could help to train other school students in first aid or buy defibrillators for schools and local communities.