'Hero' teacher praised for using first aid skills to save choking pupil

. Credit: ITV Anglia

Video report from ITV Anglia's Tanya Mercer.

A teacher from Hadleigh in Suffolk has been hailed a hero after she saved a little boy's life.

Five-year-old Bailey Smith Woods was at school when he started choking on a strawberry.

His teacher Jan Jarrald had just completed a safety training course and knew how to perform abdominal thrusts to dislodge the food.

Bailey's mum Sarah thinks all teachers should have regular first aid training. Credit: ITV Anglia

St John Ambulance has advised that if a child is choking:

  • Encourage them to cough it out.

  • If that doesn't work, try to slap it out. Get the child to bend forward and use the heel of your hand to give sharp blows between the shoulders.

  • The final option is to squeeze it out. Stand behind the child and link your hands in a fist between their tummy button and the bottom of their chest. Then pull sharply inwards and upwards.

St John Ambulance says if a child chokes, they should first try to cough it out. Credit: St John Ambulance

Now Bailey's mum is calling for all teachers and parents to have regular training so they know how to help in an emergency.