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SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
The Inner London Education Authority is responsible for the school health service but
by virtue of an agreement required by Section 32 of the London Government Act 1963 there is
joint use by the Authority and the Borough of professional staff, premises and equipment.
The Medical Officer of Health is the Principal School Medical Officer of the Inner London
Education Authority for the area and is responsible to that Authority for the day to day
running of the service.
During the year the co-operation of the Medical Adviser's department of the I.L.E.A.,
the local Divisional Education Officer and Head Teachers of the schools in the Borough has
been of great assistance.
MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Arrangements were made for children at all schools in the Borough to be medically
examined as a routine as soon as possible after admission to infant school, after transfer
to secondary school and as early as possible in the term before the one in which they reached
statutory school leaving age. Pupils who were still in attendance after attaining 15 years of
age were examined as early as possible in the term prior to that in which they would be
leaving school. Nursery school children were medically inspected on admission and annually
thereafter.
Most pupils were seen just after transfer to junior school but when this borough took
over from the former London County Council on the 1st April 1965, selective medical examinations,
where only selected pupils are seen, were carried out in 38 schools in the Borough.
Many head teachers now seem to prefer the routine medical examinations, and at the end of
1968 only 15 schools were continuing selective examinations.
During 1968 13,784 (13,543) routine medical examinations were carried out in the borough.
This resulted in 39.5% (38.6%) of children on the school roll being examined as a routine. It
was gratifying to find that only 0.1% (0.3%) of the children examined were thought to be in
an unsatisfactory physical condition.4. 5% (4.4%) of the children seen were referred for
treatment other than for vision.
The largest number of children noted for treatment at routine medical inspections was
for vision - 56.22 (64.09) per 1,000 inspected, the next being for defects of the skin
5.15 (3.17) per 1,000 inspected.