Get Ready for Edexcel GCSE History

Lesson Plan 2.4

Utility: Reactions to the NHS

Resources

Student Book pages 55-58

Worksheets 2.4a and 2.4b

Interactive 2.4

Learning outcomes

●Understand why, at first, the medical profession opposed the National Health Service.

●Explain the utility and limitations of a source.

Background

One of the core source skills at GCSE is the ability to evaluate the utility of written or illustrative sources. Middle of the range answers will focus on the value and limitations of the contents of the source – what it is suggesting about the event or person. Stronger answers will also evaluate the value and limitations of the Nature, Origins and Purpose of the sources.

In this lesson, utility will be studied in the context of immediate reactions to the introduction of the National Health Service. In 1946 Aneurin Bevan introduced the National Health Service Act which, within two years, had become the National Health Service. Although it was one of the key measures introduced by the post-war Labour Government, the Act was not popular with everyone. Indeed, Bevan faced strong opposition from many doctors, who were represented by the British Medical Association (BMA).

Starter

Give half the students Source C on page 57 and pose them the following question:

What does this suggest about reactions to the National Health Service Act?

Give the other half the voting paper from page 56 and ask them:

Does the voting paper support these reactions?

This can be followed with teacher exposition of the introduction of the NHS and the opposition of the medical profession.

Development

By the end of the lesson:

●All students should be able to evaluate the utility of the contents of a source.

●Most students should be able to evaluate the utility and limitations of the contents of a source.

●Some students should be able to evaluate the utility and limitations of the NOP of a source.

Individual activity

Find two reasons why doctors opposed the NHS.

Teacher can provide an overview of evaluating the utility and the contents of a source using the example on Source A, page 55.

Paired activities

Research the exemplars on page 56 showing how to evaluate the NOP of a written source.

Complete worksheet 2.4a. One student should evaluate the utility and the other the limitations of the NOP of the source.

Teacher can provide an explanation of evaluating the utility of an illustration using Source C on page 57.

Individual activity

Evaluate the utility of Source C using worksheet 2.4b.

Plenary

Individual activity

Students should decide which statements to use in evaluating Source D, completing the grid on worksheet 2.4a.

Their answers should then be peer assessed.

Extension activity

Plan an answer to activity 4 – the utility of Source E, using the planning grid on page 58.

Homework suggestion

Write a utility answer:

To examine Source A using page 55 of the textbook and worksheet 2.4a.
To activity question 4 on Source E (higher ability students).

Other resources

Weblinks containing information and video links on the founding of the NHS and additional cartoon sources regarding the founding of the National Health Service can be found at our accompanying Hotlinks site:

Links to GCSE

Questions about change at GCSE
MWH / Unit 2 (depth study) / Question 2 (8 marks) / Students are asked to explain how something changed or developed. To achieve full marks, they will need to be able to:
●include more than one reason or feature
●support or explain each feature
●explain how the features link together.
SHP / Unit 1 (development study / Question 2 (9 marks) / Students have to choose one of two items/events/people/ideas and explain why it changed something, improved it or caused it to stay the same. To achieve full marks, they will need to be able to:
●explain how the item links with the change
Question 5(b)/6(b) (16 marks) / Students may be asked to about how far something changed or stayed the same. To achieve full marks, they will need to be able to:
●offer a sustained analysis
●support the analysis with precisely selected and accurate material and with sharply focused development of the points made