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public to their full extent, and in many cases the provision stands idle for a large portion of the available
time, and this idle time corresponds very closely to the school hours. It is an obvious deduction from
what has been said in the preceding paragraphs that advantage should be taken of this provision in
the interests of the school children. If the children could be accustomed to the use of the public baths
during their impressionable years of school life, they would assuredly continue the habits formed, and
the risk of breaking the habit on leaving school would not be so great as it would be if school baths
alone were relied upon.
In the last report it was remarked that attempts by cheap vouchers issued at school to induce
a greater use of the public baths by school children had produced a very meagre result, and the opinion
was expressed that little progress would be made unless attendances at the baths were made part of
the school curriculum.
The Children's Care Sub-Committee viewed this idea with favour, but it was understood that the
head teachers of the schools hesitated at first to endorse the scheme on account of the inroads which
might be made upon the time available for instruction in other subjects.
Subsequently, the Central Consultative Committees both of head masters and head mistresses
adopted the following resolution :—
" That, as it is understood that offers have been received from a number of districts to give
this voluntary scheme a trial, the further consideration of the matter be postponed pending
the receipt of the reports upon the experiment."
The Education Committee expressed the view that it would be of great educational value to
provide bathing facilities where this is practicable, and that some effort should be made, where public
baths are provided by the borough councils and are not fully utilised, to arrange for bathing facilities
at these institutions.
The Council agreed for a restricted experiment to be put into operation as part of the school
medical service in selected poor areas in Camberwell and Ken,ington.
The experiment was to be confined to the age group 6—8, and the school nurse was instructed
to call at the schools, examine the children whose parents consented to have them bathed, and exclude
those who are unfit or being dealt with under the cleansing scheme. The nurse was further instructed
to accompany the children to the baths, and supervise the children while being bathed. After seeing
the children properly dressed, the nurse's instructions were that she take them back to the school.
It was arranged for 25—30 children to go to the baths at a time, and that the limit of distance of schools
from the baths should be half a mile. The experiment has been put into operation, and is proving
popular and successful.
Examination of candidates.
Candidates taking up permanent appointments in the school service are examined in the Public
Health Department before commencing work. Candidates for scholarships are also required to be
examined before the scholarship is finally awarded. The number of candidates submitting themselves
for a first examination during the year was 6,493, as compared with 6,015 for the year 1914. They
may be classified as (a) candidates for entrance to the permanent service, (b) cases specially referred,
and (c) candidates for award of scholarships.
Permanent
service
candidates.
This division includes all who work on the staff of the various educational institutions, i.e.,
teachers and instructors, matrons, nurses, and needlewomen, school keepers and caretakers in all classes
of educational establishments under the Council. The numbers medically examined will not coincide
with the number of appointments, as candidates from the Council's training colleges, having been under
regular medical inspection, are not further examined on entering the permanent service within the
year after leaving college. The total number of candidates examined was 1,239 (382 males, 857 females),
but there were 1,524 examinations (451 males, 1,073 females), the excess being due to the fact that in
285 cases (69 males, 216 females) a second or third examination was necessary. Of the number thus
referred, remedial treatment was satisfactorily obtained in 211 cases; 20 were referred for further
examination ; 24 were definitely rejected ; and 30 withdrew their applications, or were still under consideration
at the end of the year. The total number of rejections was 42—18 as a result of the first
examinations, and 24 as a result of the subsequent examinations. The reasons for rejection were:
unsatisfactory general health, 9 ; defective vision, 9 ; unsatisfactory condition of heart, 3 ; defective
teeth, 14 ; miscellaneous, 7.
Cases
specially
referred
These referred cases relate to leave granted to employees absent owing to personal illness; to
cases in which questions have arisen in regard to students in institutions for higher education whose
health is considered such as to render exceptional attention advisable; to teachers returning to duty
after extended leave of absence (a) owing to personal illness, (b) for educational purposes, (c) to married
women under No. 31 of the regulations in regard to the education service; to teachers about to be
superannuated; to teachers demobilised from the Forces who applied for special consideration owing
to wounds, etc.; and to cases in which claims were received from teachers and others in the permanent
service for exceptional treatment as regards sick pay and re-imbursement of medical and other expenses
in respect of illnesses alleged to be due to the conditions under which they were required to carry out
their duties. The number of cases thus specially referred was 1,565, as compared with 1,262 in 1914,
the excess being largely due to the applications from demobilised officers and men and the reaction
after working under war conditions, particularly in air raid areas.
Teachers
suffering
from
tuberculosis
The question of teachers suffering from tuberculosis has been brought forward during the year,
owing to the decision of the Board of Education that such teachers could not be recognised in any
capacity until six months after the submission of a medical certificate showing that the disease had