Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Report of the Medical Officer (Education).
167
Remembering that children usually grow most rapidly about the middle third of the school year, and that it is better for the seats to err in the way of being too large, the seats should be fitted in classes to suit the various groups of children at about the eighth month of their school year, increase of height during the rest of the school year being small. With labelled desk sizes for children of various heights the children could be supervised as to their seats by a monitor. Each child in school should know its height and the size of seat it should occupy. The dimensions issued for Sheffield patterns are:¡ª
For infant schools. | For standards Boys, girls, and mixed. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Desk sizes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
Seat heights | Inches | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
Centimetres | 25 | 27.5 | 32.5 | 35.0 | 37.5 | 40.0 | 42.5 | 45.0 | |
Smallest child to be allowed | ¡ª | 100 | 112 | 120 | 122 | 132 | 142 | 152 | |
Group heights of children to use them | ¡ª | 105-110 | 120 | 120-125 | 125-135 | 135-145 | 145-155 | 155 | |
Height of biggest child to be allowed | 105 | 112 | 125 | 130 | 137 | 147 | 157 | - |
The heights recommended are generally smaller than those given by foreign writers and commissions,
as allowance is made for the desk to suit about the eighth month of the school year, and it
is better to exceed in size than be too small.
For the distribution of these desks in class rooms the measurements of some 8,000 children taker in 1906 are useful. These children were distributed in percentages of those in each standard in the following height groups:¡ª
Height in centimetres, up to | 104 | 105- | 110- | 115- | 120- | 125- | 130- | 135- | 140- | 145- | 150- | 155- | 160- | 165- | 170 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boys | I. | 3.6 | 11.3 | 25.7 | 25.5 | 19.5 | 8.0 | 4.1 | 1.6 | .2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
II. | - | 2.6 | 9.6 | 25.4 | 28.7 | 24.2 | 8.3 | 1.9 | .3 | .4 | - | - | - | - | - | |
III. | - | - | 1.5 | 7.6 | 24.4 | 27.6 | 20.6 | 12.2 | 4.4 | 1.3 | .2 | - | - | - | - | |
IV. | - | - | .1 | 2.3 | 10.2 | 22.5 | 30.0 | 19.6 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 1.0 | - | - | - | - | |
V. | - | .1 | - | .6 | 2.7 | 9.5 | 20.7 | 26.4 | 23.4 | 10.4 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | - | |
VI. | - | - | - | .2 | .5 | 1.7 | 11.6 | 22.6 | 24.7 | 19.5 | 12.3 | 4.8 | .7 | .9 | .2 | |
VII. | -- | - | - | - | .2 | .6 | 4.5 | 10.4 | 21.4 | 24.5 | 18.4 | 10.5 | 4.4 | 3.2 | .9 | |
Girls | I. | 3.2 | 11.2 | 25.7 | 27.3 | 17.3 | 7.8 | 4.1 | .8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
II. | .3 | 1.5 | 10.2 | 26.4 | 30.8 | 18.8 | 7.8 | 2.3 | .6 | 1.0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
III. | - | .2 | 1.3 | 9.4 | 21.4 | 27.5 | 23.3 | 10.9 | 4.7 | .9 | .3 | - | - | - | - | |
IV. | - | - | .1 | .2 | 5.8 | 19.4 | 29.3 | 21.0 | 11.8 | 5.9 | 2.9 | .9 | .1 | - | - | |
V. | - | - | .1 | .1 | 1.7 | 7.8 | 16.9 | 25.0 | 20.5 | 15.7 | 8.0 | 4.0 | - | - | - | |
VI. | - | -- | - | .2 | .2 | 2.4 | 7.7 | 14.5 | 20.3 | 23.7 | 18.6 | 8.7 | 3.4 | .7 | - | |
VII. | - | - | - | - | - | .5 | 2.7 | 5.2 | 10.0 | 21.9 | 22.5 | 22.5 | 11.6 | 2.3 | .7 |
From these numbers the proportions of desks to each room can be estimated. The larger sizes are more numerous for girls than boys in the upper standards, but the difference is not very great and for practical purposes may be averaged as in the lowest part of the table. The numbers are given for a class of 40 in each case:¡ª
Desk size | No. 3. | No. 4. | No. 5. | No. 6. | No. 7. | No. 8. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boys | I. | 27 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - |
II. | 14 | 11 | 13 | 2 | - | - | |
III. | 3 | 10 | 20 | 7 | - | - | |
IV. | 1 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 2 | - | |
V. | - | 1 | 13 | 20 | 6 | - | |
VI. | - | - | 4 | 20 | 13 | 3 | |
VII. | - | - | 2 | 13 | 18 | 7 | |
Girls | I. | 27 | 8 | 5 | - | - | - |
II. | 15 | 12 | 11 | 2 | - | - | |
III. | 4 | 9 | 20 | 7 | ¡ª | - | |
IV. | - | 3 | 20 | 13 | - | ¡ö | |
V. | - | - | 9 | 22 | 9 | - | |
VI. | ¡ª | - | 5 | 14 | 17 | 4 | |
VII. | - | - | 1 | 6 | 18 | 15 | |
I. | 27 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - | |
II. | 14 | 12 | 12 | 2 | ¡ª | __ | |
III. | 3 | 10 | 20 | 7 | - - | ||
IV. | - | 4 | 21 | 12 | 3 | - | |
V. | - | - | 10 | 22 | 8 | - | |
VI. | ¡ª | ¡ª | 2 | 20 | 15 | 3 | |
VII. | - | - | 2 | 9 | 18 | 11 |