Florence Nightingale Lessons and Resources
Explore the life and legacy of Florence Nightingale
Discover why Florence Nightingale became such an important figure in nursing and healthcare. Pupils examine her decisions, her work during the Crimean War, the evidence of her achievements and the different ways people remember her.
Explore teaching resources
Everything for this history topic in one place
The enquiry sequence
Six key questions, including additional enquiry activities
8 activities
Florence Nightingale end of unit quiz – KS1
You’ve been learning all about Florence Nightingale — a very special nurse who helped lots of people. Now it’s time to see what you can remember! This quiz will ask…
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Florence Nightingale – assessment task
Focus: Change and significance This task offers pupils 3 carefully chose images to support their understanding of the achievements of Florence Nightingale which the pupils have to analyse and go…
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Florence Nightingale – KQ1 – Why do we think Florence Nightingale is remembered?
Pupils make deductions from a range of visual clues to see if they can work out what job Florence Nightingale did, before being told the story of her life through…
Read MoreFlorence Nightingale – KQ2 – Why did Florence place herself in such danger by going to the Crimea?
Who influenced her decision to go? Already introduced to the major events in Florence’s life, children now speculate on why she took the brave decision to go to the Crimea….
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Florence Nightingale – KQ3a – Fighting Fit. What did Florence do to improve the lives of the soldiers when she arrived in the Crimea?
In this lesson children compare the appalling conditions in the hospitals on Florence’s arrival at Scutari. With the help of animated rats! They list the most significant problems and then…
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Florence Nightingale – KQ3b – Smart task – What did people really think of Florence Nightingale?
Did everyone admire Florence Nightingale, and did she deserve the medals she received? This KS1 smart task encourages pupils to explore differing attitudes to Florence through discussion and role play….
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Florence Nightingale – KQ4a – What was Florence Nightingale’s greatest achievement?
Pupils have been drafted in to help with the wording on a statue to Florence Nightingale which had badly worn away over time and is now in danger of being…
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Florence Nightingale – KQ4b – Florence Nightingale’s days are numbered. Brilliant cross-curricular History and Mathematics
Every so often you see an inspiring example of history and numeracy working together seamlessly. Such a lesson was taught by Ros Boulton of South Farnborough Infants. She wanted her…
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Florence Nightingale – KQ5 – How do we know so much about Florence Nightingale when she lived so long ago?
This differentiated core activity is Prove it! Working in pairs as detectives with their own find the clue sheets and clipboards, pupils are given 10 statements about Florence and have…
Read MoreFlorence Nightingale – KQ6 – Should Florence Nightingale rather than Mary Seacole have her statue at St.Thomas’ hospital?
NB This lesson overlaps, as you would expect, with a similar lesson on Mary Seacole. It is slightly different in emphasis but if you are studying both women in equal…
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Smart task Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole: Who said it? / Who am I?
This simple task encourages children to spot the differences between Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. With a large A4 image of Florence on one side, and Mary Seacole on the…
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Fighting Fit. What did Florence do to improve the lives of the soldiers when she arrived in the Crimea?
In this lesson children compare the appalling conditions in the hospitals on Florence’s arrival at Scutari. With the help of animated rats!! They list the most significant problems and then…
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2 fun facts for pupils studying Florence Nightingale at KS1 and 2 key learning points
Just thought these two fun facts might interest your pupils, building on infants’ interest in animals rather than death rates from dysentery! So the two facts are: 1. As a…
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Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole SMART TASK
Who said it? / Who am I? This simple task encourages children to spot the differences between Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. With a large A4 image of Florence on…
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How well do you and your pupils know Florence Nightingale?
Here are 10 probing questions. See how you get on. Oh, and the answers are given below, in case you need them. As if! Q1. How was Florence Nightingale received…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.