From 1 September 2025, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework is being updated. These changes bring new legal duties for childcare providers, but also fresh opportunities to strengthen safety across nurseries, schools, and early years settings.
We’ve pulled out the three main changes that matter most for your team’s first aid provision.
1. Training Content Stays the Same
There’s some good news to start with: the actual Paediatric First Aid (PFA) and Emergency Paediatric First Aid (EPFA) courses aren’t changing.
- The content, topics, and assessment standards are exactly as they were before.
- A full PFA course is still 12 hours minimum (usually over two days).
- EPFA is still 6 hours minimum (one day).
- You still need at least one staff member with a current PFA certificate on-site and on outings at all times.
In other words, if your team already has valid certificates, they continue to meet the new requirements. There’s no need to rebook training just because the framework is being refreshed.
2. More People Now Need PFA Certificates
The bigger shift is in who must be trained. From September, certain groups who previously didn’t have to complete PFA will now need a certificate to count in your staff-to-child ratios.
This includes:
- Students completing long-term placements
- Apprentices aged 16 or over
- Volunteers aged 17 or over
- Staff who achieved their qualification through the new experience-based route
Without a valid PFA, they can still be part of your team, but they can’t be included in ratio numbers, instead they’ll be classed as additional staff.
This is a notable change in approach: training that was once optional is now a mandatory requirement.
3. Spotlight on Safer Eating
Another addition to the framework is a stronger emphasis on food-related safety. This builds on the Department for Education’s nutritional guidance and ties directly into how Ofsted will inspect settings.
Expect closer scrutiny of:
- Staff confidence in preventing choking incidents
- Allergy and anaphylaxis management
- How well cross-contamination risks are managed at mealtimes
Although choking and allergy response are already part of PFA courses, inspectors will now look more carefully at how confidently and consistently your team applies this knowledge in practice.
How to Get Ready
- Review your current training records – highlight any students, apprentices, volunteers, or experience-based staff who will need PFA certification.
- Plan ahead and book courses early – demand is likely to rise with more people needing to sit the course
- Go further than compliance – consider topping up with additional CPD, such as safer eating workshops, to show Ofsted you’re going above the minimum standard.
Leave a Reply