Lesson video

Hello, and thanks for joining me today for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox, and I'll be guiding you through the resources and materials you need to be successful with this lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is part of a unit of work on post-war Britain.

We're asking the question, for whom did the United Kingdom become a new Jerusalem? And in today's lesson, we'll be focusing on the creation of the National Health Service and the welfare state.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe how the post-war Labour government created the modern welfare state, including National Insurance and the NHS.

Now, two words that we'll use in our lesson today are welfare state and taxation.

The welfare state is a system in which the government protects the health and the wellbeing of its citizens by providing grants, pensions, and other benefits.

Taxation is the system of routinely paying money to the government.

Now, our lesson today will be in three sections, and the first section will focus on dealing with child poverty.

The experiences of World War II increased awareness of the need for social reform to tackle poverty in Britain.

The evacuation of children showed that the health and the general condition of UK children was poor, particularly those from inner-city areas.

Head lice, skin diseases, and poor nutrition were all common.

In addition, the Beveridge Report, published in 1942 by the liberal economist William Beveridge, set out the scale of the challenge facing governments after the war.

Beveridge's recommendations received enthusiastic support from the public and broad acceptance from politicians.

This led to some aspects of the Beveridge Report already being put into action by the coalition government prior to Labor's election victory in 1945.

For example, a law free school milk had started in the 1920s, this was extended to free school meals in the 1940s.

Meals were subsidised from 1941, with children from the poorest families entitled to free school meals.

By 1945, 1.

065 million children were receiving free school meals daily.

There was also a free immunisation programme set up during the war to protect children against diseases such as diphtheria.

In 1945, family allowances for the second-born and subsequent children were introduced.

Parents could claim five shillings a week to help with the costs of raising children, although payment didn't start until 1946.

These steps show that even before the end of the Second World War, there was an acceptance of the role of the government in supporting the British people and the need for a welfare state.

However, there was still a great deal of work to be done to improve the standard of living of working people in Britain.

Following their landslide victory in the 1945 general election, Labour set about putting their manifesto promises into action.

It's time to have a check of your understanding.

Let's have a go at this question.

How much money could parents claim in family allowance per child each week? Was it A, five shillings.

B, 10 shillings.

Or C, 15 shillings.

Press pause and press play when you have your answer.

You should have said the correct answer was A, the family allowance was five shillings.

Many family homes had been destroyed during the Blitz, leaving a huge shortage of housing.

In the short term, temporary houses, prefabs as they were known, were constructed to deal with the immediate housing crisis, providing 157,000 homes.

Emphasis was also placed on the building of permanent council houses and the demolition of slum houses unfit for human habitation.

The 1948 Children's Act also took steps to ensure that children were properly cared for and housed.

Children's officers were appointed to take children into the care of the local authorities if their parents could not look after them.

The school leaving age was also increased to 15 in 1947, to enable young people to increase their knowledge and skills.

However, good houses and schools were still in short supply.

Attempts to reduce child poverty had to be paid for through general taxation and, therefore, although child poverty was reduced, it was not eliminated altogether because there was a limit to how high taxes could be raised, and many other priorities that money raised from taxation also had to be paid for.

Here's another check of your understanding.

How did the Labour government fund their measures to deal with child poverty? Was it A, by borrowing more money, B, by increasing general taxation, or C, by obtaining donations from rich individuals? Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answer.

The correct answer was B, they raised the money by increasing general taxation.

Here's another question now.

True or false? The Labour Party created the welfare state from scratch when they were elected in 1945.

Is that true or false? Press pause and then press play to hear the right answer.

You should have said the correct answer was false.

I'd like you to press pause now and write an explanation as to why the answer is false.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you could have written.

You could have said that the wartime coalition had already introduced some of Beveridge's social reforms, such as free school meals.

Finally, in this section, let's have a go at this question.

I'd like you to read Sofia's point of view and give three reasons that this view could be seen as correct.

Let's read Sofia's view now.

She says, "Child poverty had been greatly reduced in the UK by the 1950s.

Living conditions were better, children had better access to education, and the health of children had improved." Press pause to write your answer and then press play when you're ready.

Let's have a look at how you got on.

You could have included some of the following points in your answer.

You could have said that from 1941, children from the poorest families were entitled to free school meals.

Slum houses were being replaced by new council houses, and temporary homes were available in the short term.

Children now stayed in education until the age of 15.

Families with two or more children received family allowance, and local authorities ensured children were being properly cared for.

It's time to move on to the second section of the lesson today.

This section will focus on National Insurance.

A key element of establishing the welfare state in the UK was the introduction of National Insurance.

The aim was to provide a system of protection, or social security, for individuals and families if they lost some or all of their income.

For example, through unemployment or sickness.

The idea had been proposed in the Beveridge Report, and preparations for it were started by the coalition government.

All workers and employees would have to contribute payments to the scheme.

156 contributions were needed for cover to take effect.

In return, the government would provide support such as unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, maternity pay, and retirement pensions.

Time to check your understanding once more.

What did National Insurance offer British workers protection against? Was it A, fraud and exploitation, B, discrimination and hate crimes, or C, unemployment and sickness? Press pause, and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

You should have said the correct answer was C, National Insurance offered protection against unemployment and sickness.

Here's another question now.

Who was not protected by National Insurance? Choose two correct answers.

Was it A, those who had not yet made a sufficient number of contributions to the scheme, B, those who were rich enough to afford to support their own families through hardship, or C, those who were not in work and had not made any contributions to the scheme? Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answers.

Welcome back.

You should have said that the correct answers were A, those who had not yet made a sufficient number of contributions and, C, those who were not in work and had not made any contributions to the scheme.

In addition to the National Insurance Act, two other laws were passed by Parliament to further increase social security protection.

The Industrial Injuries Act of 1946 required all workers to contribute to a fund from their salary, which would be used to provide insurance against industrial injury.

Moreover, the National Assistance Act in 1948 provided extra assistance for the disabled, elderly, and the unemployed who had not contributed sufficiently to the National Insurance scheme.

The cost of living was also rising after the end of the war, which meant that even those who would not qualify for help through National Insurance sometimes needed additional support.

The National Assistance Act allowed everyone to have a minimum standard of living, and provided a sort of safety net.

These schemes were a huge undertaking and demonstrated the commitment of the government to the idea of protecting citizens from the cradle to the grave.

The introduction of a system of National Insurance was a significant step in tackling poverty, which was viewed as the key social problem affecting all others.

A study of conditions in York in 1950 by the social reformer Seebohm Rowntree found that primary poverty, that's not having the basic means to live and survive, had fallen to 2% compared to 36% in 1936.

However, not everyone felt that National Insurance provided enough help or the right kind of help.

The level that welfare benefits were set at was very low.

For example, in 1948, unemployment benefit was only 19% of the average industrial wage.

Nevertheless, the principle of state protection had been set and would be accepted and taken forward by future governments.

Time for another check of your understanding.

True or false? National Insurance was criticised by some for not offering enough financial support to those who needed it.

Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer was true.

I'd like you to pause the video now and explain why National Insurance was criticised.

Welcome back.

You should have said, "National Insurance was criticised because unemployment benefit was only 19% of the average industrial wage in 1948." Finally, in this section, let's put everything you've learned into practise by answering this question.

I'd like you to describe the system of social security set up by Labour from 1946 to 1948.

Try to include the following in your answer, the National Insurance Act, the Industrial Injuries Act, and the National Assistance Act.

Press pause to write your answer, and then press play when you're ready.

Time to see how you got on.

Your answer could have included some of the following.

The National Insurance Act of 1946 provided financial protection against unemployment or sickness for those workers who paid National Insurance contributions.

In addition, the Industrial Injuries Act of 1946 provided extra financial help for those absent from their work due to industrial injuries.

Finally, the National Assistance Act of 1948 provided basic social security for those who did not pay National Insurance contributions.

These measures were designed to tackle the social problem of poverty.

Finally, I'd like you to discuss with a partner the reasons why the Labour government felt it necessary to supplement the National Insurance Act with the National Assistance Act.

Your discussion should focus on the reasons it felt the National Insurance Act did not go far enough to protect everyone in society.

Press pause whilst you have your discussion, and then press play to see what you should have discussed.

Welcome back.

Your discussion might have included some of the following.

They realised a safety net was needed to help those who had not contributed enough to receive benefits, or who were long-term unemployed or unable to contribute.

Even for some people who did receive insurance benefits, this may not have been enough to keep up with the rising cost of living.

It's time to move on to the final section now of the lesson today.

This section will look at the creation of the National Health Service and the welfare state.

A second key element of the welfare state was the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.

Prior to the creation of the National Health Service, only around 40% of the UK population paid into a system of National Insurance, which allowed them to access a doctor.

The rest of the population had to pay if they required medical services, which not all families could afford to do.

The NHS was designed to be a universal health service, paid for through general taxation and free at the point of use.

This meant that no new specific taxes were needed to set up the NHS, which was popular with many.

There would be no charge on the treatment given to people, and services would include GP appointments, hospital treatment, eye and dental treatment, and hearing facilities, all free of charge.

Here's a quick check of your understanding.

How did the new National Health Service work? A, the public received two free consultations per year, which was funded by taxation.

B, the rich had to fund the cost of the NHS, but the poor received free treatment.

Or C, everyone received free treatment at the point of need as the service was paid for from general taxation.

Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer was C, everyone received free treatment at the point of need as the service was paid for from general taxation.

The government minister in charge of health was Aneurin Bevan.

It was his job to implement the NHS, which was based on the ideas in the Beveridge Report.

Not everyone supported the NHS, as some said it would be too expensive.

Many doctors also objected as they were worried they would lose their independence, and that their pay would fall.

However, Bevan was a highly persuasive politician, and he managed to gain enough support to allow the health service to come into operation on the 5th of July 1948.

Here's another check of your understanding.

True or false? Everyone was supportive of having a National Health Service in the UK.

Press pause, and then press play to hear the answer.

You should have said the correct answer is false.

I'd like you to pause the video now whilst you explain why the answer is false.

Welcome back.

You should have said, some people thought it would cost too much, and doctors were worried about losing their independence.

The response from the public was overwhelming, with many patients seeking long overdue treatment for a variety of health conditions, such as rotten teeth.

The number of prescriptions almost doubled within the first month, and this resulted in some charges having to be introduced for treatment.

Today, the National Health Service has many pressures on it, but the NHS is still regarded as the keystone of the British welfare state.

Here's another true or false question.

Very few people accessed the new National Health Service when it came into operation.

Is that true or false? Press pause and then press play when you're ready for the answer.

You should have said the correct answer was false.

I'd like you to pause the video again and explain why the answer is false.

You should have said that many patients sought long overdue treatment for a variety of health conditions.

Finally, in today's lesson, I'd like you to complete this task.

Write one paragraph about why the NHS was so popular when it was created in 1948.

Here are some suggestions of things that you could include in your answer.

You could mention how it was funded, who was eligible for treatment, what treatment was available, and why it was an improvement on healthcare in the '30s.

Press pause now to complete the answer, and then press play when you're ready.

Let's see how you got on.

You could have said the NHS was popular when it was created in 1948 because it was paid for from general taxation, and meant that medical treatment was free at the point of need.

There was universal eligibility, and patients could receive hospital care, dental treatment, eye and ear facilities, and GP appointments free of charge.

This seemed revolutionary to many people who had been unable to afford medical care in the 1930s, and led to an overwhelming demand for treatment when the NHS first opened.

We've now reached the end of today's lesson, so let's have a recap of everything you should have learned today.

The experiences of the Second World War had revealed high levels of child poverty.

General taxation was increased to pay for measures to reduce child poverty.

A National Insurance system was introduced to support people who became ill or lost their jobs.

Workers paid into this system.

In 1948, the National Health Service was introduced, which provided free healthcare at the point of need.

These measures form the foundations of the welfare state.

Well done for all your hard work in our lesson today.

I hope that you feel confident that you've understood the material, and I look forward to you joining me in a future history lesson.