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who from mental defectiveness existing from birth or from an
early age, not amounting to imbecility, will throughout his life
require care, supervision and control, for his own protection or
for the protection of others.
At the present time many children enter special schools, being
at the time ineducable in ordinary schools. They improve with
special instruction and resume their attendance at ordinary schools.
Such children are not mentally defective under the Mental Deficiency
Act, 1913, yet they have been so within the meaning of
Section 55 of the Education Act, 1921. The mentally defective
child in the meaning of the Mental Deficiency Act never improves
to this extent. When he reaches the age of 16 years, he permanently
requires assistance from others, he is a failure socially,
and frequently morally.
It would appear, therefore, desirable to have another class
of certificate for children requiring special education under Section
55 of the Education Act, 1921, which would be entirely different
from that of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, and would not
cause any stigma to be attached to the child. The special schools
would then be worked in connection with dull and backward
classes, and there would be no difficulty in the transference of
such children to ordinary schools or classes if improvement from
late development of the mental faculties took place. On the
other hand, the mentally defecti\e child within the meaning of
the Mental Deficiency Act would not be allowed to proceed from
a special school into the world to produce illegitimate children,
or be arrested for moral offences, and be generally a danger to
society.
In Ilford the tendency to notify children as mentally defective
who may only possibly be mentally retarded, has been avoided,
and the figures in this district are low.
It will be seen, however, that there are 27 children for whom
special education is required and for whom none has been provided.
A scheme for adapting the Newbury Park Junior School
for this purpose was held up by the Board of Education from
reasons of economy and has not been proceeded with.