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Any parent, head teacher, school nurse, speech therapist,
physiotherapist or audiometrician and others may request
the medical examination of a pupil and these special
examinations are usually carried out at clinics. Regular
school clinic sessions are held at which a medical officei is
in attendance. Where necessary, special sessions are
arranged.

Report of the Principal School Medical Officer for the year 1971
Organisation
This is the seventh annual report on the School Health
Service provided since 1st April, 1965, by the London
Borough of Hounslow. The arrangement whereby the
school health service was closely integrated with the other
health services administered by the Department of Health
has continued. Joint use is made of medical, dental, nursing
and other staff as well as of clinic premises.
Co-operation
It is important that there is an exchange of information
between hospital, general practitioner and school medical
staff.
Local hospitals have agreed to send reports to school
medical officers on all children of school age under their
care. Hospitals outside the area will send reports on
request.
Before any child is referred for specialist or hospital
treatment it is the practice, except in emergencies, to ask
the family doctor whether he is in agreement, or whether
he wishes to treat or refer the child himself.
School Health Service
School Population
officer to the school is used to cover a wider field than a
selected age group. If the best results are to be obtained from
these visits to school, there should be close collaboration and
consultation between medical officer and head teacher.
At the 'leavers' examination, Form Y9 is completed for
each pupil and forwarded to the Principal Careers Officer.
This form indicates if there are any health reasons for
avoiding certain types of occupation.
The number of pupils submitted to periodic medical
inspection during the year was 7,319 and the results are
shown in Table 24. The physical condition of 78 (1.06%)
was considered to be unsatisfactory. The concept of
unsatisfactory physical conditions varies with the examining
doctors but the important point is that efforts are made to
bring the pupil to a satisfactory physical state.
Special Examinations and Re-examinations
The examinations carried out during the year were as
follows
At the end of the year the maintained school population
was
Special
examinatior
Re -
Nursery schools and classes
School medical inspection
Primary Schools
19,342
sessions
1,565
-
Secondary modern schools
959
Routine clinic sessions
2,339
1,396
Grammar schools
2,049
Employment of school
Comprehensive schools
9,650
children
382
-
Special schools
775
Children being taken into
Total
33,277
care
26
—
Periodic Medical Inspection
Under the provisions of the Education Act it is the duty of
a local authority to provide at appropriate intervals, for the
medical inspection of pupils in attendance at any school
provided by them. The authority may require the parent of
Freedom from infection
80
_
Pupils at special schools
367
100
Attendinq hearinq clinic
420
411
ZJ ZJ
Possibly requiring
special education
181
Epidemiological surveys
—
—
Total
5,360
1,970
Periodic Medical Inspection
Under the provisions of the Education Act it is the duty of
a local authority to provide at appropriate intervals, for the
medical inspection of pupils in attendance at any school
provided by them. The authority may require the parent of
any pupil, in attendance at such school, to submit the pupil
for medical inspection in accordance with the arrangements
made for such inspection.
Periodic medical inspections are carried out on school
entry, one or more intermediate examinations are carried
out and all children are examined again at school leaving
age. Efforts are made to examine children in nursery classes
each term. The intermediate medical examination includes
a colour vision test.
When a periodic medical inspection is arranged, the head
teacher is asked to submit the names of any other pupils in
whose case special medical inspection is thought to be
advisable. Pupils requiring follow-up from previous medical
inspections can also be seen so that the visit of the medical
The defects found at periodic and special medical
inspections are shown in Table 25.
Uncleanliness and Verminous Conditions
School nurses make examinations of children in regard to
cleanliness of persons and clothing and the presence of lice
or their eggs (nits). At one time all pupils were examined
at least once each term but as uncleanliness of person or
clothing is now rare, flea or body lice infestation almost
unkown, and the incidence of head lice greatly reduced,
such regular examinations are not now held. The nurse now
visits schools to carry out these examinations at the request
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