View report page

92
thousand affiliated schools under its control—fifty-three of which are Central
Schools—and the Honorary Secretary estimates that about one thousand four
hundred teachers give their time freely and voluntarily for boys' football on Saturday
mornings.
"London Schools' Netball Association.—Netball is now the chief school game
played by the girls, and where there is a large playground this can be catered for
very successfully on the premises. Most schools, however, have not sufficient
space to accommodate more than one game, which only includes fourteen players,
and therefore during a class games period other organised games which can be played
on smaller courts have to be employed. This necessitates that the majority of
the actual netball coaching is done after school hours, and much time is given
voluntarily by many enthusiastic teachers to the organisation, coaching and umpiring
of the game. Last year, before the District Champion School teams were arrived
at, 310 teams had competed, representing 2,170 players—this is only a small proportion
of the total number of girls who play netball in the London Elementary
Schools.
Much credit is due to the London Schools' Netball Association and affiliated
associations for their hard work during the past year.
"London Schools' Swimming Association.—Owing to the General and Coal Strikes
which took place last summer, several of the borough authorities found it impossible
to heat the water in the swimming Daths, with the result that many schools discontinued
their attendance for a while. Naturally this break has adversely affected
the number of certificates gained—it speaks well, however, for the enthusiasm
of the teachers and children that the drop is not greater.
(a) Swimming.—The London Schools' Swimming Association report that
7,029 certificates were gained by the boys, and 6,990 by the girls—the figures for
last year being 8,487 boys and 8,135 girls. The Hackney branch gained the greatest
number of certificates with a total for boys and girls of 997, but if the reckoning
is made on the average number of certificates per department, the Kensington
branch heads the list with an average of 16'6. Rotherhithe New Road School
claims the greatest number of certificates on the boys' side with a total of 72, whilst
Greenwich Park Central heads the list for the girls with a total of 69.

The Hoxton branch gamed the greatest number of certificates with a total
of 568. Rotherhithe New Road School headed the list for the boys in both elementary
and advanced certificates, with totals of 82 and 68 respectively. The late headmaster
of the school did much to further swimming amongst his boys, and his sudden death
will be a great loss to the school for which he worked so hard. Fulham Central
Girls' School gained the most advanced certificates with a total of 41, whilst Sirdar
Road with a total of 46 headed the list of elemenatry certificates.
Great credit is due to the London Schools' Swimming Association, and to the
many affiliated branches, for a most successful and strenuous year's work."
Health
Classes.
In many schools children found by the school doctors to have postural deformities,
due to lack of tone of the muscular system, are formed into special classes
which are drilled in appropriate exercises for twenty minutes each day. Such
"health" classes have been established in thirty-five boys' and sixty-two girls'
departments. The important factors in the success of these classes are that the
children get a daily lesson in small classes taken by the most suitable teacher on