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It is the intention of centre training to have regard to the whole
personality of a child and eventually to prepare him/her not only
for undertaking employment but also to encourage the use of leisure
hours to advantage.
3. Special Care Unit
With the object of accommodating 12 very severely retarded
children suffering from other handicaps, this unit must also be
considered as a training unit in that children are being helped
towards greater independence. On admission at the age of 5 or
6 years, some children are still bottle-fed and a great deal of
skilled and patient teaching is required to assist them to surmount
the physical handicaps which make self-help so difficult.
This group, perhaps above all others, needs to be taught leisurehour
activities in order that the many hours spent by its members
in wheelchairs at home may, in fact, be those of leisure and not
of boring deleterious idleness.
Since the inauguration of this training unit, success has crowned
the efforts of the staff in creating a stimulating and happy atmosphere
and an environment within which children are given the
best of opportunities to assimilate and adjust.
It is not surprising that, with such an avant garde establishment
as this centre undoubtedly is, visitors are attracted not only from
this country but from Europe and America and its influence on
the design of other authorities' new centres has been significant.
Furthermore, it has played an important role in re-orientating
attitudes both of lay and professional workers who are associated
with such training centres.
During the current year, the daily routine and teaching methods
employed at this centre became the subject of the Health Education
Section's first effort at film making entitled "They Have a Future"
Despite certain technical deficiences inevitable in a "first" production,
this colour film has been very warmly received and is
used by the London Borough's Training Committee for teaching
purposes. The Health Education Section are to be commended on
the completion of a highly successful educational project.
I am pleased to include a report by Miss Godfrey, the Head
Teacher, on the year's activities at the centre: —
"During the past twelve months several new ventures have been
launched.
We have been successful in booking a weekly session at the
Greenwich Swimming Baths with an instructor to teach our children
to swim.