The National Health Service (NHS) is experiencing its “most challenging winter ever”, according to the head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Oracy
Many people in the UK are very proud of the NHS and want to protect it. But does that really mean we should avoid using it when we feel poorly? Aren’t we forever being told to talk to a doctor if we are at all worried about our health? Or is it right that we should think twice about bothering doctors? Isn’t part of the problem the fact that it is free at the point of use, which means too many people use it thoughtlessly? What do you think?
Writing skills
Invent a disease. Think of something strange that people seem to suffer from, such as 'footballers’ falling-over disease' or 'politicians’ forgetting-they-promised-to-improve-the-NHS syndrome'. Then, write an imagined entry to a medical handbook, giving the condition an official-sounding name, outlining the symptoms (how the disease affects people) and proposing a cure.
OR
One of the biggest problems the NHS suffers from is people who book appointments with a doctor but do not turn up and fail to let the surgery or hospital know they won’t be coming. Design a poster, using powerful, persuasive language to remind people to keep their appointments or cancel them if they are no longer needed.
Investigate
Write a fact file about the NHS. Try to research and summarise between five and ten interesting pieces of information about the service, including statistics (factual numbers) to support each point.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to The Week Junior website.