CHILDREN’S health and wellbeing will be on the timetable when CBeebies’ resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh visits a school.

Dr Ranj will make an appearance at Burgess Hill Girls Junior School on March 4 to answer questions from children and their parents.

Best known as the co-creator and presenter of the pioneering CBeebies show Get Well Soon, the NHS paediatrician also has a children’s health slot on ITV’s This Morning.

Dr Ranj said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting children and parents at Burgess Hill Girls.

“There are so many questions that children want to ask.”

Get Well Soon is a show based on children’s experiences of going to the doctor, featuring five lovable puppet characters that come to visit the doctor.

The puppets display different symptoms, allowing Dr Ranj, with the help of his assistant Morag Calder, to explore and explain 30 of the most common childhood illnesses, injuries and general ailments – from asthma and chickenpox to food allergies and hiccups.

Through the show, he hopes to help children understand how illnesses affect our bodies and that a visit to the doctor can help explain symptoms and be the first step to getting better.

Dr Ranj said: “Even very young children often have a surprisingly sophisticated understanding of their health conditions.

“Children need to have access to reliable information about their health, just as much as adults.

“Too often children see a trip to the doctor as something to be frightened of but if they have the right information we can put their minds at ease.”

Dr Ranj said he would be surprised if parents didn’t ask him about child obesity, which is the number one challenge facing the NHS, with a report last year saying 9.3 per cent of four and five-year-olds in primary reception classes in England are classed as obese.

“It’s so important that we support mums and dads to help their children on this,” he said.

“Being told that your child is overweight can be difficult it’s also important to be honest and work together to find solutions.

“Likewise, it’s just as important that children understand that it is important to be healthy rather than focusing on the ‘right’ weight.”

Junior school headteacher Heather Cavanagh said: “It’s a real thrill to have Dr Ranj with us at our open day.

“As a parent, I know that the opportunity to ask a doctor about the health issues that are bothering our children is invaluable.

“And, of course, as it’s Dr Ranj, it will be fun, too.

“The theme of the day is children’s health and wellbeing – so that covers just about everything.”

Dr Ranj will be at Burgess Hill Girls Nursery, Infant and Junior open day at 9.30am on March 4.

To find out more and to register to attend, phone 01444 241050 or register online at http://burgesshillgirls.com/admissions/open-events.