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Special reports were made during the year on 38 schools in relation to hygienic
defects, which included references to lighting, natural and artificial, ventilation,
sanitary offices, heating, nuisances from smells, etc., arising both within and without
the school premises, desking provision, condition of floors, noise, sleeping arrangements
for infants, nuisance from rats and nuisance from flies.
The services of the school medical department are continuously sought in
connection with a large number of questions and experiments connected with the
sanitation of the schools and the provision of hygienic furniture and appliances.
The question of the cleansing of schools is being kept under review, further
methods for floor cleansing have been investigated, and the number of school
departments the floors of which are treated with dust-allaying oil has increased.
A variation of standard planning was agreed to allow for linoleum on concrete
in lieu of boarding for the floors of babies' rooms in new schools, and at Frankham
Street, the first school to be dealt with, this variation has proved satisfactory.
Progress has been made with the solution of problems connected with the
substitution of tables and chairs for fixed desks in classrooms. This problem assumes
an important aspect in connection with the dual use of schools for children in the
daytime and adults in the evening. The heights of tables and chairs prescribed
by the school medical officer and described in last year's annual report have proved
satisfactory, except in one instance ; the table of the third size proved to be too
low in actual practice,, and this is now amended. The babies' tables remain
unaltered. The four sizes of tables and chairs now being supplied are as
follows:—
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Heights of tables (inches) 29 27½ 24 20
„ chairs (inches) 17½ 16 14 12
In order to enable the experimental chairs to be placed on the tables while
cleansing was in operation the width of the tops was originally fixed at 20½ inches
owing to the floor space taken up it has been found necessary to reduce the width
to 18 inches. This is found sufficient in use. Originally tables 78 inches long, each
to accommodate 4 children, were supplied, but it was found that the teachers had
difficulty in supervising the work of the two inside children and the front row of the
class encroached too far upon the teacher's demonstration space. A variation was,
therefore, instituted providing for the supply of tables accommodating two children
only ; these permit of the necessary gangway and leave room for a reasonable demonstration
space. The optimum length of the tables for two children has, after experiment,
been determined at 42 inches, the width remaining at 18 inches.
The results of Medical Inspection.
The number of children medically inspected in the three statutory age groups
in the elementary schools during 1928 was 207,254, being 13,378 more than in 1927,
and 23,558 more than in 1926. The increase is due to the fact that the age groups
examined comprised children born in years of relatively high birth-rate. In
addition, 59,302 children were inspected in detail in the term before that in which
they were due to leave school (i.e., approximately at age 14). This examination is
important in connection with the future careers of the children as it gives great
assistance in connection with the choice of employment.
Age group
inspections.
Provision is made for the examination of all children not falling in the age groups
who are referred for examination on account of suspicion of illness or disability by
care committee workers, teachers, school nurses, attendance officers, etc. The
number seen under this heading was 37,650. Additional children to the number of
51,182 were inspected in groups in connection with school journeys, open-air
classes, camp schools, and so forth. Further, 2,036 children were medically
inspected in their age groups at special schools.
Special
inspections.