Florence Nightingale - known as 'the lady with the lamp' - emerged from a tardis at West Meadows primary school, Hoyland.
The founder of modern nursing was actually played by Candice Bratley, from Silkstone, who is a history educator and manager of a Victorian classroom museum.
Teacher Rachel Steele said: "It was part of our 'people who changed the world' project for year two. We have an inflatable tardis in school and Florence came out of it, as she was coming to visit from the past.
"The children learned all about her life, how she really liked books and her parents stopped her from becoming a nurse. But she pursued her dream - and she told the children they could do the same. One child even said it was the best day of his life."
