New
New
Year 10
AQA

The Liberal reforms and public health

I can explain the impact of the Liberal reforms on public health in Britain.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The Liberal reforms and public health

I can explain the impact of the Liberal reforms on public health in Britain.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. People living in poverty usually suffer from worse health.
  2. The Booth and Rowntree Reports and the Boer War made it clear that public health was poor in Britain.
  3. The Liberals introduced several reforms including free school meals and National Insurance.
  4. The Liberal reforms were intended to resolve some of the problems created by poverty.
  5. The Liberal reforms encouraged future governments to accept more responsibility for public health.

Keywords

  • Public health - actions and systems intended to prevent disease and maintain good health within communities

  • Laissez-faire - the belief that governments should not interfere in people’s daily lives

  • Malnutrition - a serious condition that happens when a person’s diet does not contain the right amount of nutrients

  • Slum - a poor and crowded area of a city where the buildings are in a very bad condition

Common misconception

By 1900, British governments accepted large-scale responsibility for managing public health.

British governments still limited their actions to improve public health by 1900 because of laissez-faire attitudes.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The Liberal reforms and public health, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Get pupils to discuss in small groups which of the Liberal reforms they feel were most beneficial for public health. Pupils may consider the immediate impacts of the reforms, the overall number of people they helped or some of their long-term consequences to help support their judgements.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is an operation where skin is taken from one part of the body and used to replace damaged skin elsewhere known as?

Correct Answer: skin graft, a skin graft, skin grafts, skin grafting

Q2.
Who helped develop plastic surgery during WWI?

Archibald McIndoe
Correct answer: Harold Gillies
Joseph Lister

Q3.
What did the death rate for soldiers with femur fractures fall to after use of the Thomas Splint became widespread during WWI?

5%
10%
Correct answer: 20%
40%
60%

Q4.
What type of surgery involves the use of tiny cameras and narrow surgical instruments?

antiseptic surgery
aseptic surgery
Correct answer: keyhole surgery
robotic surgery

Q5.
Which substances can prevent clotting when added to blood?

arsenic
Correct answer: glucose
penicillin
Correct answer: sodium citrate

Q6.
Match each development to the century during which it occurred.

Correct Answer:microbes first observed,17th century

17th century

Correct Answer:first smallpox vaccine,18th century

18th century

Correct Answer:new sewage system constructed in London,19th century

19th century

Correct Answer:first antibiotics developed,20th century

20th century

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
is a serious condition that happens when a person’s diet does not contain the right amount of nutrients.

Correct Answer: Malnutrition

Q2.
What is a slum?

an area of high-quality housing
Correct answer: an area of poor-quality and crowded housing
an area where lots of housing is available
an area where housing is provided by the government

Q3.
How did the infant mortality rate change in Britain between 1900 and 1920?

didn't change
more than doubled
mor thane trebled
Correct answer: more than halved

Q4.
In which year was the Ministry of Health set up?

1769
1819
1869
Correct answer: 1919
1969

Q5.
How did the Boer War reveal that public health in Britain was poor?

Correct answer: Many British recruits were rejected because they were unfit.
Most British soldiers were killed during the fighting.
Britain lost the war to the Boers.

Q6.
Match each of the Liberal reforms to the correct description.

Correct Answer:1906 School Meals Act,free school meals provided to children from poor families

free school meals provided to children from poor families

Correct Answer:1907 Education Act,free medical inspections provided for children in school

free medical inspections provided for children in school

Correct Answer:1908 Old Age Pensions Act,regular payments provided to poor over 70s

regular payments provided to poor over 70s

Correct Answer:1909 Housing and Town Planning Act,banned the construction of new back-to-back houses

banned the construction of new back-to-back houses

Correct Answer:1911 National Insurance Act,regular payments provided to sick and unemployed workers

regular payments provided to sick and unemployed workers

Additional material

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