× Clarification: This article was created for Eagle Radio by Greer Riddell not January Media.

Aldershot Headteacher Saves 4yr Old After She Stopped Breathing

Created by Greer Riddell in Portfolio for Eagle Radio on 22 Aug 2018

After a 4-year-old girl stopped breathing in her classroom, Headteacher Mr James from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Aldershot gave her CPR and ultimately saved her life.

Watch our St Joseph´s Primary School Aldershot Video on YouTube.

The teachers and pupils at St Joseph´s Catholic Primary School in Aldershot really look out for each other, this was certainly true when earlier this year a four-year-old pupil suffered a febrile convulsion.

“She stopped breathing and she was brought over from her classroom to the office where the main First Aiders are to try and just get a second opinion…as we were walking over from the classroom the little girl passed out and her eyes went to the back of her head and her lips went blue. So I ran forward and shouted for help.”

Helped by members of staff who had recently attended a first aid course, Bill James the headteacher realised her heart had stopped and began to give her chest compressions and rescue breaths for two minutes before she started to breathe for herself.

“Mr. James immediately started giving her chest compressions. The St Johns Ambulance people said that's the best thing to do.”

“We just carried on doing CPR whilst Mrs. Flynn was on the phone to the ambulance and they were giving us directions until the ambulance people came. It was just like we were acting out a role. You're trained, everybody here is trained at first aid there's a difference between being trained and then applying that knowledge in a situation like that.”

Due to the teacher’s support, the 4yr old pupil was taken to hospital, where doctors confirmed an infection had caused high temperature and a febrile convulsion. She has made a full recovery.

“She still comes and says hello every day and she's such a happy lovely little girl and it's fantastic it was a good outcome. I'm just so glad that we had that training because you do just kind of instinct kicks in and you think we won't remember what to do but actually it did all work.”

Bill James recently won a Local Heroes Award presented by Surrey and Hampshire’s local radio station Eagle Radio for his bravery and quick thinking at the incident. The above documentary was made by Greer Riddell for Eagle Radio to celebrate Bill’s achievement.