Health Education England announces midwife as the winning career for Longfield Academy of Sport, Darlington

Health Education England (HEE) is delighted to announce that two students from Longfield Academy of Sport in Darlington have won the Step into the NHS schools' competition for the North East of England.

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Published 29th May 2018

Megan Toor and Cara Wright impressed the judges with their entry to promote the role of a midwife. They created a creative stop motion video using some characters from the Sylvanian families. The video was informative, highlighting the job responsibilities required to be a midwife.

This video, along with others beat more than 1,700 entries across the country, as the competition attracted record numbers of pupils to get involved and learn more about careers in the NHS.

Now in its ninth year, the competition aims to promote the 350 plus careers available in health and social care professions across the NHS and students were tasked with designing an advertisement and job description for their chosen role, working individually or in groups of up to four.

Nicholas Lindsay, Head of Longfield Academy of Sport said:

"We are very proud to be a community school and partnership working with other agencies is vital to our overall vision for success. This piece of work with the NHS is an example of our ethos and values as a central pillar for public services in the North of Darlington."

Joanne Crawford, Head of Midwifery of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said:

"Midwifery is a fantastic career - it is an honour to support women and their families throughout pregnancy and childbirth. I don't think there are many people that can truly say they love their job, but I do, and I have for the last 23 years. It is so fantastic to see young women like Megan and Cara displaying enthusiasm and drive to achieve a career in midwifery, and I would wish them every luck in achieving their goal. At County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust we have exciting opportunities for midwives to work in both hospital and community settings - helping deliver around 5000 babies each year."

Michael Wilson, Business Manager (careers) for Health Education England said:

"I'd like to congratulate Megan Toor, Cara Wright and Longfield Academy on their fantastic entry. Young people are extremely important to the future of the NHS workforce. It is important that the NHS engages with young people now and lets them know about the wealth of career opportunities.

"There are more than 350 different careers to choose from in health and jobs range from community matron, dietician or public health analyst to a finance manager or web developer. Initiatives such as the schools competition really help to raise awareness of this."