North East regional winner of NHS schools’ competition announced

Competition reopens to celebrate the NHS’ 75th birthday in 2023

Whickham Parochial Primary School student, Georgia Lowery, scoops top prize in the North East region, in an annual contest re-opening this month to celebrate the NHS’s upcoming 75th birthday. The competition encourages primary school pupils to create a ‘thank you’ to NHS staff, while learning about the many careers in the NHS.   Georgia, aged eleven from Whickham, created a colourful and detailed poster displaying several facts about the health service, as well as a ‘thank you’ to NHS staff. Georgia clearly demonstrated her learning about careers in the NHS and an understanding that men and women can do any job in the NHS. Laura Hull, class teacher at Whickham Parochial Primary School, said: “Georgia truly enjoyed learning about the range of roles within the NHS and loved the creativity element to the competition. We are so proud of Georgia's design and thrilled about her success in the competition.”   Health Education England (HEE) runs the Step into the NHS competition each year to raise awareness of the more than 350 career opportunities in the NHS, while supporting the career aspirations of young people in education.   Dr Navina Evans, Chief Executive, Health Education England, said: "I have been very impressed with The Step into The NHS 2022 entries this year. Congratulations to our North East regional winner Georgia on her extraordinary poster, I especially enjoyed the rainbows and all the bright colouring – your drawings brighten up to room Georgia.” The 2022 Step into the NHS competition saw 916 entries from more than 1,080 pupils in thirty-six primary schools across England. As well as encouraging students to challenge gender stereotyping in health professions, pupils had the chance to say ‘thank you’ to the NHS in their own personal and creative way.   In a special prize presentation at Whickham Parochial Primary School, Georgia received a certificate, a £25 Amazon voucher and an exciting goody bag.   The judges for the primary school competition were Navina Evans, chief executive of NHS Health Education England, NHS trainee clinical scientist Kade Flowers, and medical student Marianne Gazet.   Kade Flowers, NHS trainee clinical scientist, said “I really love the colours you have used, especially your rainbow. I like the way you have chosen lesser-known NHS roles, such as chef, and demonstrated that men can be midwives.”  Marianne Gazet, medical student, said, “You show amazing use of colour! It’s very eye-catching and vibrant.”  Developed in partnership with teachers, the Step into the NHS competition is now reopen for the 2023 competition. Its curriculum-linked resources for KS2 and KS3, including a careers quiz, an A-Z of NHS careers and stories from NHS staff, introduce students to more than 350 NHS careers.   This year, instead of asking pupils to create a ‘thank you’, they will be encouraged to focus on showcasing the variety of roles in the NHS. For details of all the career opportunities the NHS can offer, visit the NHS Health Careers website.