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SPECIAL MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Any pupil about whose well-being (physical or mental) the parents, school nurse, care committee or
teaching staff were in doubt and pupils whose performance raised doubts concerning their physical or
mental fitness for whom special educational treatment might be necessary were brought before the school
doctor by head teachers. The Education Officer, etc. also requested that certain children be examined at
times other than the normal routine examinations.
2,621 (3,101) of these examinations were carried out in 1970, either at schools (where the pupils'
parents were invited to attend) or in the pupil's own homes.
RE INSPECTIONS
School doctors re-inspected 6,359 (6,287) children who had been referred for treatment or observation.
SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS BY SCHOOL DOCTORS
School doctors sometimes made special recommendations (e.g. position in class because of hearing and
vision limitations, restrictions of physical training activities) and head teachers or other responsible teachers
saw that they were carried out. They were also asked to ensure that children with defective vision wore
spectacles prescribed for them and children with hearing aids used them.
EMPLOYMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
During 1970 167 (181) examinations were carried out on school children of 13 years of age and over
who were employed part-time delivering milk, newspapers, in shops, etc. These examinations were carried
out within 14 days of the commencement of their employment and every 12 months thereafter. This was
to ensure that such employment was not prejudicial to their health and physical development and would
not render them unfit to obtain proper benefit from their education.
SCHOOL JOURNEY MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Before children went away for a school journey, the school nurses checked their medical records and
arranged for any treatments to be given which might be needed to make them fit to go, referring them to
the school doctor if necessary. Any information regarding the child's physical condition mentioned on the
parental consent form and about medicine or tablets being taken was also passed on to the medical officer.
The type of journey was, of course, taken into consideration. Strenuous expeditions might be too much for
delicate children, children with plantar warts might not be able to walk far and other children might present
special problems.
1,381 (1,660) children were examined by a school doctor within 96 hours of departure to make sure that
they had not been in contact with infectious disease and to determine whether they were fit to go. One of
the accompanying teachers was available for the school doctor to discuss any restriction which should be
placed on the activities of any of the children. This reduced risks not only to individual children but to the
party as a whole.
Children going to Inner London Education Authority camps, where a school nurse was in attendance,
were seen by the school nurses only. 1,242 (852) children were examined in this way during 1970.
One school nurse accompanied a party of physically handicapped school children on a school journey to
Devon.
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