CHILDREN put pencil to paper and gave a picture of what nurses do for a living to mark 125 years of training at Oxford Brookes.

The Department of Nursing, formerly the Radcliffe School of Nursing, has been training nurses since 1891.

And to mark the special anniversary, the Headington-based institution ran a competition for youngsters from Oxford primary schools to draw what they thought a modern-day nurse does.

Creative pupils from St Michael’s CE Aided Primary, St John Fisher Catholic and New Marston Primary school then picked up their colouring pencils to illustrate the responsibilities of the job.

Head of the department of nursing Liz Westcott said: “The competition has been a fantastic way of kicking off our 125 years of nursing education celebrations, which we will be celebrating throughout 2016.

“All the entries for the competition were very good, and deciding who won was hard.

“All the finalists showed great understanding of what nurses do, however there could only be one winner for each age category.

“Our winners seemed to remind us what is important to people about what nurses actually do and the important role nurses have when caring for people.”

The three winners were eight-year-old Finn Kopp; New Marston Primary School pupil Isobel Parter, 6; and Sinead Woodley, aged 11, of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School.

The trio have won a day in the nursing skills lab at Oxford Brookes University.

Their winning pictures will be displayed in and around the university throughout 2016 as the institution celebrates 125 years of nursing education.

Finn is in Year 4 and goes to St Michael’s CE Aided Primary. He said: “I felt excited about winning and I felt proud of my picture.”

His father, Alex Kopp, said: “We’re extremely proud of Finn.

“He loves his drawing and he did really well.”

The judging panel was made up of senior lecturers in adult nursing, Paul Ong and Paula Johnson, head of department of nursing Liz Westcott, executive office administrator Robyn Thompson-Vango, all from Oxford Brookes, and Sarah Stephenson, lead nurse for practice development and education, Churchill Hospital Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.