Our Education & Outreach team has produced some great free resources for teachers and students who want to learn about the history of our NHS. Clare Horrie, Education Web Manager, outlines what we can offer teachers in this 75th anniversary year for our health service.
With the spotlight on the NHS in its 75th anniversary year it is a great opportunity to signpost schools to our teacher resources on the subject. We have a fantastic collection of records that tell the story of the NHS from its beginnings in 1948 and it’s great to see them being put to use today in schools around the country.
As an education team our approach is to inspire and engage learners with archival records to encourage their own interpretations and investigations. We want to put original sources into their hands to share known, lesser known or completely hidden histories to support their experience of the subject whatever their age.
A recent email sent to our Education Service said ‘I just thought it was probably about time, after many years, that I praised and thanked you all for the excellent resources that you have provided for schools…Many of your documents include a “read-aloud” feature too, which is terrific, not just for SEND – lots of young people find unfamiliar vocabulary in primary sources. I use them in teaching all the time.
Here are a few highlights from our resources – you can find more on our dedicated web pages.
Key stage 3 & 4
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/african-nurses/
Use this lesson to find original documents which explore the lesser known role of African nurses in the health services of Britain.
Key stage 4 & 5
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/commonwealth-migration-since-1945/
An important part of the story about the birth of the National Health Service is contribution made by the people who worked in its hospitals. This collection of documents explores increased Commonwealth migration after 1945.
Key stage 5
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/attlees-britain/
Education’s themed document collection on Atlee’s Britain 1945-1951 makes available documents (with transcripts) which reflect the birth of modern Britain. According to historian Robert Crowcroft, ‘the most enduring legacy of the Attlee years is the welfare state’. Fundamental to this, was creation of the National Health Service in July 1948. Students and teachers can use the digital collection to find out about the birth of the National Health Service and explore it in the context of other documents relating to post war Britain, including the economy, rationing, housing and nationalisation.
We hope that schools can put our resources to good use during the 75th year of the NHS. We are always keen to hear from students, so please let us know how you are using our resources and what further toolkits would be useful to your students.