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Certain medical statistics were collected relating to a sample
of such children, together with other information on their homes,
schooling and some background knowledge about the areas in
which their schools were situated, e.g. amenities and their accessibility
to the school areas.
The progress of each child will be followed for three years,
mainly through educational and medical records. In some cases
children are given occasional short progress checks and parents
are interviewed.
Survey of Physically Handicapped Children in Ordinary Schools
Recognition now given to the special needs of physically
handicapped children tends to obscure the fact that in certain
circumstances these children do not require education in special
schools. In September 1969, in the the course of a national
enquiry, the Department of Education and Science requested
information on the number of such children, the nature and
degree of their handicap, their response to the education provided
for them and the extent to which they absorb too much of the
teacher's time at the expense of the non-handicapped child and
whether they receive sufficient medical and nursing attention.
Questionnaires were completed for each child and the results
are awaited.
It seems likely that the extent to which physically handicapped
children attend ordinary schools will depend on the facilities
in the area where they live. In the larger conurbations, where
provision of special schools is favoured and is sufficiently
plentiful, most severely handicapped children will be placed in
them. Alternatively, in the case of the less severely handicapped
child, a nearby ordinary school of single storey construction with
small classes and a sufficient number of interested staff would be
able to accommodate the child, at least during his years of
primary schooling.
Health Education
During the year, a health education committee consisting of
health visitors and school nurses continued to meet every month
and, with the help of the Health Education Officer, made out a
programme of topics for the year. Posters and leaflets were
selected to support the topic chosen for the month and, if no
suitable material was available, the Health Education Section with
ideas from this committee, were able to fill the gap. This committee
also reviewed new films, leaflets and posters and assessed
their suitability for use in the health visiting and school health
fields.