To think this is going to look so bad and I will be viewed poorly by new employer

[DemiS2000]

I start a new job Monday and they had first aid training at work booked for today so I was added on to it. We watched the presentations and did the practical and then we had a 24 question assessment at the end on what we had learnt. We had to get 80 percent or more. We had 2 x tries to pass, so if we didn't get 80 percent the first we could go again I failed both times. Will I be viewed poorly by my new employer. She was there on the day aswell

She's not a nursery assistant, she's a practitioner. 1st aid is essential!

@Blushingm - in that case she needs to pass the paediatric course within 3 months of starting work.

From what I understand, the only having one qualified person onsite is to cover settings such as schools, who could just have teachers and nobody who needs paediatric first aid to validate their qualification. If the OP doesn't hold paediatric first aid then her qualification won't be full and relevant.
^
From the Gov website:^ Paediatric first aid (PFA)
Newly qualified staff with a level 2 or level 3 early years qualification, awarded after 30 June 2016, must also have either a full paediatric first aid (PFA) or an emergency PFA certificate within 3 months of starting work. If they do not have this you cannot count them in the EYFS staff:child ratios at level 2 or level 3.

OP, I would do some studying so you know the answers inside out, and then you won't be so nervous when you take the test again. Talk to your boss, I would expect she'll send you on the course again.

If I was a nursery owner/manager who had just taken someone on who failed they first aid training twice, yes, I'm afraid I'd be concerned. Their job wouldn't be at risk at this stage, but I would definitely by pressing more training on them until they passed, and if probably check on their retention over the next 12 months.

First aid competence has to be an absolute priority. It's no good there being one first aider at the other end of the building when a one year old is choking in the baby room.
If there's an accident, it's vital that the nursery can be sure that their staff did everything right.

Tbf the course seems poorly administered. Normally it would be split into two hour sessions, one theory which breaks down most of the common injuries/illnesses and symptoms and how to administer first aid, followed by a test. Another session (ideally after the first session and passing of the test) which recaps the basics and then focuses on the practical aspect, recovery position , CPR, defib, Heimlich manoeuvre, bandaging etc.

Having them both on the same day(how long for) with random information being thrown in, people talking, random anecdotes etc. could make it tricky for some people to sort through all that information at the end and answer promptly and accurately. Plus some questions are like what does this abbreviation stand for and you get 4 very similar answers.

It's worth pointing out that the law was changed due to campaigning by a mother and father who lost their baby to a choking incident at nursery where not enough employers were first aid trained.

Yes, this is going to look poorly on you. Assuming you’re qualified, you wouldn’t be able to be counted in qualified ratio as you need first aid for this.

I would be looking at terminating your employment if you couldn’t pass first aid as I wouldn’t feel confident you know what to do in an emergency. As a mother, I wouldn’t want you with my daughters in an emergency.

I doubt this is true unless you have a lot of unqualified staff (and therefore not following the correct qualified to unqualified ratios) or a lot of staff who qualified before 2016 and are refusing to redo it.

Any staff member who holds a L2 or L3 from 2016 onwards needs paediatric first aid to be counted in the qualified ratio. Any qualified from before 2016 should also have up to date PFA but it’s not a legal requirement.

I'm sure they've had this before so just explain you were a few marks off the pass rate. Revise and do it again. Good luck. Xx

I'd put it down to nerves and ask to do it again (then u can study while waiting)

Its compulsary for all Nursery Care staff to have Pediatric 1st aid training but only a legal requirement that 1 member of staff has an up to date training certificate at all times.
So technically a nursery could have all staff doing training at same time but then annually only have 1 or 2 members of staff annually updating their training as long as these staff members are on premises at all times.

Is it that you misunderstood the questions? I recently did a first aid course and had to read through some of the questions a few times to check I was answering them in the right way. I always have to think carefully with the "what should you not do" style questions.

Hope they're helpful on the phone on Monday.

I suspect you will have to retake at least the online part of the test. I took a test recently where the answers came up after each question.

On one of them, it said I'd got it wrong but then came up with the same answer. I'm never convinced that the Multiple Choice Quizzes actually work properly. And they are frequently vague to the point there is more than one correct answer.

Perhaps try finding a course yourself where it's not based on your ability to do a quiz online.

I’m confused. If it’s CPD then why does she have to do it unpaid before even starting work? If it’s part of the recruitment process, then how come the offer is still open if the assessment wasn’t passed?

I think I would arrange to take the course again ASAP at your own expense.

How would a future employer know?

If any employee of mine requested to re do the test at home, huge red flag. Obviously they want to cheat with their next attempt.

Bizarrelly it isn’t essential.

I work in early years with 29 staff and we have less than half who are first aid trained. Most of ours has lapsed and we are waiting on a new course through work.

im in Scotland so requirements may be different .

Likely this training completion is a regulatory and insurance requirement to operate the nursery. I would make sure they know you are keen to pass it and just keep going until you do. Once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll likely end up wondering why it was such a struggle to begin with and the annual refresher training will be a doddle with all that practice. Attitude is everything, try not to worry

@ZippyBrick that sounds like a you problem. We always do the online bit at home or at work because it is hours long, and only if we pass the online bit we are then booked into the practical part.

It makes sense as it's a lot of material from allergies, to head injuries, chocking , diabetes, open wounds, bleeding (including nose bleeds), head injuries etc. I can easily pass it now as I've done it a few times , plus the practicals , plus actually dealing with stuff day to day. Plus, learn better by reading stuff rather than someone talking at me.Someone doing it the first time with no previous experience , having all that information plus any other random thing thrown at them in a day/6 hours , would struggle though. Nothing to do with cheating. Everything to do with the right environment for actual learning.

No way would I be happy trusting my baby or toddler to a nursery where the first aid exam was not taken on site and in close to exam conditions.

If their staff took it at home, I'd find that unacceptable. Anyone could have taken that test.
Learn the stuff at home? Fine, of course. But taking the test? No way.

Fully agreed. People aren't doing it at home for time, they're doing it to cheat and that's not acceptable when it comes to safety.

Not denying that ideally all childcare practitioners should be first aid trained but strange there's not such emphasis on parents.

I took a paediatric first aid course when I had my first baby but my husband didn't and I've never repeated it so will have forgotten a lot. Considering parents are so much more likely to be alone with children and nobody else around it's strange there's not more campaigning for all parents to do it.

It doesn’t matter what the legal guidelines are- Ethically if you’re incapable of completing a very simple multiple choice questionnaire you’re not capable of caring for children in emergency situations and shouldn’t be in your job. It’s going to look really bad to your new boss because it is really bad.

It's not very simple, and if done right, it is quite intense and lengthy course.

I actually hate the practical sessions (6 hours of it) , because there's so much faffing, and let me ask you about this one thing my grandma used to do with burns, and let me tell you that time I got knocked out, and that time I did this that and the other. And what about this ? What about that? Plus people being arseholes and talking/whispering and using it as a catch up session.
The practical test part is fine . Tbf , I wouldn't mind or care if I had to do the theory one under supervision either (would make no difference to me) as long as I had access and opportunity to actually learn that stuff by myself without being interrupted by grandma Judy's boil remedies.