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and these include St. William of York, Junior and Infants, Perrymount Junior
and Infants, Horniman Junior and Infants, Meadowgate, a school for the educationally
subnormal 5-16 years, and New Woodlands, a school and hostel for maladjusted
children 5—16 years of age. The opening of Meadowgate School, adds
to the provision already made at Meeting House School, for educationally subnormal
pupils. Brent Knoll School is the other special school in the Borough and
caters for delicate children. Children attending this school suffer from many
diverse conditions, but a good proportion are asthmatic, or have chest diseases or
are debilitated. Provision is made by the Inner London Education Authority for
children with other handicapping conditions, such as blindness, deafness, physical
disability and maladjustment, at day schools in neighbouring boroughs and close
liaison is maintained with the Principal School Medical Officers of these Boroughs.
In the tracing and continued surveillance of handicapped children, the Observation
Register has an important role. Reviews by doctors, health visitors, school
nurses, letters from hospitals and information from family doctors, are all
co-ordinated in a confidential file, and a punch card kept up to date, with the
object of providing the best possible services for any particular child. The register
is also used in providing statistics upon which to estimate the requirement of
future special school places. Of the 2,327 children on the register who attend
school, 797 were attending ordinary school, 1,258 were attending day special school
and 213 were attending boarding special school.
One of the duties of a school medical officer is to maintain a satisfactory level
of immunisation in the school, by ensuring that as many children as possible are
protected. Sessions are therefore held in school for immunisation against diphtheria,
tetanus, poliomyelitis and tuberculosis. During the year immunisation was also
offered, for the first time, to girls in secondary schools against German measles
(rubella). All girls who were thirteen, or would be thirteen by the end of the year
were included, and it is envisaged that the offer of this protection will become a
routine yearly procedure.
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