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Before the close of the year there were 91 names on the school register with over 70 children in
attendance, which was as many new children as could be conveniently dealt with to begin with, as a
large number of them were only two years old and the majority required training in cleanly habits and
much special attention during the day.
The school buildings here consist of two open shelters, and the children live under delightful
health-giving conditions during the warm weather. Unfortunately during the colder months, from
October to March, they are exposed to fogs and keen winds, and during these months means of modifying
the rigorous open-air conditions are necessary.
It has been found during the year that nursery schools, far from being the means of increasing
the mortality from measles have had just the reverse effect. In Somers Town Nursery School, where
measles occurred, the school was the centre for the control of the disease. The teachers were able to
recognise the initial symptoms and to send the child home, at the same time advising the parent to
keep the child in bed for at least a week. In every case the child was home and in bed before the appearance
of the rash, with the result that there were none of the dreaded after-effects which are the cause
of the high death rate associated with this disease.
Open air education.
The stringency of the times is threatening very seriously to check progress in the development
of open air education. The schools at Stowey House (Clapham Common), Birley House (Forest Hill),
and Shrewsbury House (Shooter's Hill) have been continued, and the school at Bow-road (Poplar) was
ready to open at the end of the year. All other proposals for extension have been suspended. When
open air schools were first established it was considered that they should continue throughout the year
without a break, but of late it has been felt on educational and administrative grounds that school
holidays are required. The slow increase in weight before the summer holidays compared with the
relatively rapid increase afterwards has been cited as an added reason on physical grounds, but it
is necessary to point out that in the northern hemisphere childrenjgrow in height in the spring while
remaining relatively stationary in weight and grow in weight during the autumn while remaining relatively
still in height, and the question of school holidays is not really involved in this respect.
The weights of 50 girls and 50 boys in constant attendance at Stowey House open air school during
1921 bring out this peculiarity of the weight curve rather strikingly. Thus the average percentage
increase in body weight monthly for boys was, April to May, 1.24, May to June, '34, June to July, — '25,
July to August, 120, August to September, 1.57, September to October, 1.26, October to November,
1.60, and for girls April to May, '81, May to June, — 14, June to July, '04, July to August, 1.40, August
to September, 1.77, September to October, 2.04, October to November, 1.93.
In addition to the natural alteration in the rate of increase of weight it must be remembered
that in May and June there is a shedding of garments owing to the increasing temperature.
If open air schools are to be closed for summer holidays it follows necessarily that consideration
should be given to individual children in open air schools to ensure that the interruption of the open
air regime does not prejudice their health.
In addition to the residential holiday camps at Bushy for boys (300 places) and Wanstead House,
Margate, for girls (50 places), a third camp school was opened during the year at Barham House, St.
Leonards-on-Sea. This institution was presented to the Council by Mr. Rainey, who had long been a
care committee worker in Hoxton. There is accommodation for 50 children, and all schools in Hoxton
are allowed to share in the privilege of sending pupils. Bovs and girls are taken for a month alternately.
Open-air
classes.
During the summer of 1921, 94 open-air classes were authorised, in connection with elementary
schools in London. These classes were additional to those which are held all the year round, viz., the
classes at Rhyl-street school (boys), Sirdar-road school (girls), and Peckham-rye school (infants).
As in previous years, the classes were of the following types :—Type A—A class held at a centre
and composed of delicate children from neighbouring schools : Type B—A class of delicate children
specially selected from various classes in the same school: Type C—An ordinary school class working
in the open-air : Type D-Ordinary school classes working in the open-air, in turn, for a day, week, or
month at a time.
This year of classes of type A were held, 24 of type B, 32 of type C, and 27 of type D. The sanction
of the Board of Education to the Sub-Committee's programme was given on the understanding that the
expenditure incurred on open-air classes during 1920 should not be exceeded in respect of 1921. For
this reason it was decided to restrict the total number of authorised classes to the same number as was
approved for 1920, namely 94.
The classes of types A and B were kept under close observation by the school doctors, whose
reports show that the arrangements were, with few exceptions, well conceived, and the children benefited
in health, even more than usual, on account of the exceptionally fine weather which was especially favourable
to open-air work. It is to be hoped that it will be possible to continue the practice of holding
open-air classes in playgrounds and open spaces, especially as the Council's programme for the development
of the open-air schools is held up. A word of caution is necessary. What life in the open-air does
is to speed up the bodily metabolism, and induce the need for additional food. There is a tendency in
many circles to forget this, and to think that the fresh air of itself is sufficient without further consideration.
But it must be insisted that to take children from poor homes and educate them in the open air without
ensuring that the extra food supply is readily forthcoming, is a species of cruelty. It is this need
for additional food which makes all open-air schemes costly, and this cannot be avoided. The Rhylstreet
(boys), all the year round open-air class, " Windyheath," is one of the most interesting of the
various attempts to utilise available spaces (alas ! too few) for open-air work, and the following is an
extract from Dr. R. H. Norman's report upon it.