York school wins national NHS competition

Students from All Saints Roman Catholic School in York have been crowned the national winners of Health Education England’s (HEE) 2018/2019 Step into the NHS secondary school competition.

Year 8 students, Margaux Barker and Molly Hilton impressed the judges with  a catchy creative song to showcase the role of a drama therapist, as well as an interactive book which takes the reader on a ‘day in the life’ journey to scoop this years top prize.

There were a record number of entries this year with 1882 entries from 141 schools. The competition which recently celebrated its 10^th anniversary highlights the range of careers in the NHS by asking pupils to research their dream NHS career and then create an advert and job description.

Commenting on the win, Margaux Barker said:

When we found out we had won we were completely overwhelmed.  We worked very hard from October on our entry and lots of people helped us. We were determined to do our best. We decided our entry should be about a Drama Therapist because our passion is drama, dance and singing. We enjoy helping people and we would both like to be a Drama Therapist in the future.

We started with the lyrics for the song then we created the interactive book to help younger people understand the role”, added Molly, “Margaux and I are really pleased with the prize and it shows how much you can achieve when you are really determined.

Professor Ian Cumming, Chief Executive, Health Education England said:

 “I have been delighted by the wide variety of roles that have featured in this year’s entries, ranging from from drama therapists, to paramedics and nurses, it is a true celebration of the NHS and the numerous careers on offer.

“It is more important than ever that we act now to inspire the next generation of NHS staff. Step into the NHS supports this by showcasing its fantastic careers.

“I would like to congratulate to all the pupils who entered this year, and particularly to our regional and national winners.”

Madeline Anderson-Warren, acting chair of the British Association of Dramatherapists, said:

We would like to offer our congratulations to Molly and Margaux for their creative and inspiring winning entry. The presentation skilfully captured the spontaneity and essence of our profession and will encourage students with a love of arts, in particular drama, to consider Dramatherapy as a varied and fulfilling career option.

Sarah Bilton, Subject Leader for PSHCE and Careers of All Saints RC School, commented:

We are so pleased for our Year 8 students Margaux and Molly, they worked extremely hard on this project and winning the National competition is absolutely fantastic.  All our Year 8 students were given the opportunity to take part in this competition, and there were lots of fantastic entries.  At All Saints our students benefit from the broadest curriculum and this means we can offer our young people the chance to participate in national competitions like Step into NHS.

Nine other regional winners were selected during the judging process, alongside three schools whose entries were highly commended. The regional winning entries will each receive Amazon vouchers, while Margaux and Molly each receive an iPad.

More information about Step into the NHS can be found at: https://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/schools

The regional winners of the competition have also been announced today.  The full list of regional winners are listed below: