KS2 competition
Competition details
The KS2 competition has ready-made lesson plans that include career-related learning for your pupils, with the incentive of amazing prizes!

Thank you for sending in your entries!
The competition has now closed. Visit our online gallery in July to see the winning entries! Winners will also be announced on the NHS Health Careers website.
You can still make use of our teaching resources and lesson plans. See below for details.
Teacher resources and lesson plans
Our KS2 resources introduce pupils to over 350 careers in the NHS, raising their aspirations and helping them challenge gender stereotyping. The resources are flexible so learning can be delivered at any time in the school year.
To access these lesson plans and the teacher guide, head to the resources page below.
These resources will be refreshed in September 2023.

The important details
Pupils are tasked with producing a piece of artwork (painting, drawing, collage or video, for example) or writing (a poem, story or song) based on their learning in the core resources while showcasing the job roles and opportunities available.
The brief:
Pupils should be encouraged to reflect on the job or teams they have learnt about.
Challenge pupils to think about:
- the wide range of jobs they have learnt about
- surprising facts they have collected
- the NHS' 75th birthday in 2023
- how the NHS has helped them, one of their friends or family.
Entries must be received no later than 23:59 on Sunday 30 April 2023.
- Overall national winner(s) will have their entry displayed publicly for their local community to see. They will also each receive Amazon vouchers worth £50, an NHS goody bag and a framed certificate. Overall national winner(s) will also receive a class prize which will be discussed with the winning school.
- Regional winners will each receive an Amazon voucher worth £25, an NHS goody bag and a certificate.
- Highly commended certificates will be awarded to the top entries per region.
- A certificate for best entry will be awarded to every other school that enters.
- The first 20 schools to submit 25 or more individual entries will receive a book for their library.
- Winners and highly commended entrants will have their entries showcased in an online gallery.
Whether they enter individually or as a pair, each pupil will receive a prize if their entry is chosen.
40%: Understanding of NHS careers
- Are the pupils aware of the range of NHS careers and services?
10%: Challenging stereotypes
- Have the pupils demonstrated in their entry that they have learned about challenging gender stereotypes?
50%: Creativity
- Is the design creative and attractive?
- Anything that demonstrates that they have gone the extra mile with their work.
Competition terms and conditions
- The competition is open to all primary schools, in England only.
- Pupils can enter individually or in pairs.
- Only one entry per pupil or pair will be accepted. There is no restriction on the number of entries received from schools.
- All entries must clearly state pupil and teacher names, the full school address including postcode, plus an email address.
- Online submissions must be uploaded to the entry page. Each file must be named with the pupil(s)' names, year group and school. Please see the entry page for more information.
- Postal entries must be sent to FREEPOST STEP INTO THE NHS COMPETITION. The competition name must always appear in caps as shown. No other addressing details such as road, town or postcode should be used. Postal entries must be submitted with the official teacher entry form.
- Additional material can accompany the entry should the pupil(s) and/or teacher feel it will enhance their submission.
- Entries will only be accepted once all compulsory competition requirements have been included.
- The closing date for the competition is 23:59 on Sunday 30 April 2023.
- No responsibility will be accepted for entries lost or delayed in the post or incorrectly uploaded. Proof of posting will not be accepted as proof of delivery.
- The panel of judges will include at least one member who is independent of the promoter. The decision of the judges is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.
- The first prize will be awarded to the entry deemed by the judges to have showcased the variety of roles in the NHS in the most engaging way and that best meets the above criteria. This pupil or pair of pupils will be announced as the 'national winner'.
- Ten regional winners will be selected, with one regional winner being chosen as the overall national winner. One regional winner will be chosen from each of the following regions: East Midlands; East of England; London; North East; North West; Thames Valley and Wessex; Kent, Surrey and Sussex; South West; West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
- The child – or pair – who submits the national winning entry, will receive a prize for their school, offered the opportunity to see their entry displayed in public and each receive a goody bag, a framed certificate and an Amazon voucher to the value of £50.
- The children selected as regional winners will each receive a goody bag, a certificate and an Amazon voucher to the value of £25.
- A careers-related or educational book of no more than £15 RRP (recommended retail price) will be posted to the first 20 schools that submit at least 25 entries. All entries must be unique, submitted by the same educational institution and be received by the deadline of 30 April 2023. The book will be posted to the school’s address by the end of July 2023.
- There is no cash alternative for any prize in this competition.
- We will aim to notify winning schools in writing by the end of May 2023.
- Entries will not be returned to the school at the end of the competition.
- Winners will be listed on the NHS Health Careers website in July 2023.
- Health Education England reserves the right to reproduce and utilise in whole or in part the entries submitted by pupils for information, publicity and promotional purposes. This includes the entries being displayed in an online gallery on the Step into the NHS website. By entering, each school agrees to secure parental agreement and authorises the use of names and addresses of the establishment to which it belongs and the names of participating teachers and pupils in any information, publicity or promotional activity linked to this competition.
- Entering this competition implies full and complete acceptance of these terms and conditions of which entry instructions form a part. Promoter: Health Education England. Registered address: Health Education England, 1st floor, Blenheim House, Duncombe Street, Leeds LS1 4PL. (Please DO NOT send entries to this address. Thank you.)