Florence Nightingale Knowledge Organiser – In their study of Florence Nightingale, often compared to the lesser-known Mary Seacole, pupils learn not only about the pioneering role of a determined lady in a man’s world, they also learn about important breakthroughs in the health of the nation. This topic is a great vehicle for moving from then and now comparisons of hospital conditions to looking at changes within Florence’s long lifetime and to realise that her work with the training nurses after the Crimean war was even more important than her direct role in helping soldiers recover from their wounds. The debate about who better deserves a statue outside St Thomas’ hospital, Florence or Mary Seacole, provides an immediate and real-life focus for the tricky concept of interpretations of the past.
