Year 5 pupil Freddie Fox-Field from Huddersfield Grammar School has been named the Key Stage 2 national winner of the prestigious Step into the NHS competition, for his creative and thoughtful artwork celebrating NHS careers.

Freddie’s winning piece, which stood out among thousands of entries from across England, brought to life three vital NHS roles: podiatrist (inspired by his uncle’s profession), occupational therapist (his mum is currently training in this field), and chef (a nod to his father’s passion and their shared love of cooking). The judges praised Freddie’s ability to vividly personify these careers, creating a “visually striking” and characterful tribute to the NHS workforce.

Dr Purav Desai, Divisional Director of Medicine, CHFT, presented Freddie with the prize on Thursday 3rd July. Purav said: “Huge congratulations to Freddie on being crowned the national winner for his fantastic poster design. It was a pleasure to be able to talk to Freddie and his friends about how they can step into a future career in the NHS, especially here in Calderdale and Huddersfield. We offer such a wide variety of careers, clinical and non-clinical, and I would encourage anyone thinking about what they want to do in the future to look at how the NHS can support them in a rewarding and fulfilling role. Well done again to Freddie!”

The Step into the NHS competition is run annually by NHS England Health Careers. It challenges primary pupils to explore and creatively showcase the wide range of over 350 roles within the NHS. Students across the country were asked to submit artwork, videos, songs or stories considering what each job does, the qualities it requires, and what they find most inspiring about it.

Freddie’s entry will now be displayed publicly and featured in the Step into the NHS online gallery, as part of his national prize package.

Reflecting on the success of the competition across the school, Samantha Basnett-Nash, Head of Preparatory at Huddersfield Grammar School, said: "We are incredibly proud of all our Year 5 pupils for their enthusiasm and thoughtful entries. Freddie went the extra mile by interviewing NHS professionals and creating a striking piece that brings their roles to life. It’s a fantastic achievement and a powerful reminder of the vital work NHS staff do in our communities."

Headteacher Stuart Rees added: “Congratulations to Freddie and all of Year 5 on their fantastic entries. We’re incredibly proud of Freddie for winning nationally - a well-deserved recognition of his creativity, curiosity, and commitment. We hope his work inspires others to explore careers in the NHS.”

Freddie’s success has helped shine a spotlight on the importance of NHS careers, raising awareness among pupils of the 1.5 million dedicated individuals who help us all to live healthier, happier lives every day across the UK.

Kelly Angus, regional director of workforce, training and education, NHS England North East and Yorkshire said: "The 10 Year Health plan highlights the importance of widening access to NHS careers for students from underprivileged backgrounds. This means we need to make sure students have the best possible chance to start their NHS journey. Step into the NHS supports this by raising students’ career aspirations. They learn vital job seeking skills and that every career is open to them, no matter their background.

Congratulations to Freddie for their winning entry to the Step into the NHS competition. Their creativity and understanding of the NHS are truly inspiring. I really hope we’ll see them working in the NHS in the future."

For more about the Step into the NHS competition, visit: www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/primary-schools