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Separate figures are given on p. 58 respecting the school journeys from open-air
schools for tuberculous children.
A " super " school journey was that which took place at Easter, in the shape of
an exchange between Belgian and English children. On the English side there
were taking part 802 children and older pupils from colleges, preparatory, private,
grammar and central elementary schools. The arrangements on the English side
were carried out by the chairman of the School Journey Association. An appeal
to the Council's medical staff by the Association resulted in Dr. E. J. Boome
volunteering to accompany the expedition as honorary medical officer, and Misses
I. J. Archibald and M. B. Simmonds, of the Council's school nursing service, as
honorary nurses. The itinerary comprised Ostend, Bruges and Ypres. It is
believed that this is the largest party of the kind which has proceeded abroad.
Physical education.
"Another thing in which we are going to see big changes is in physical education. I hope
to see, in the next 10 or 20 years, in every school, a school doctor co-operating from the outset
with the director of physical training, and placing boys through a progressive course in which
physical faults and underdevelopment will be discovered and remedied."—(Dr. Norwood,
Headmaster of Harrow, 15th December, 1933).
The organisers of physical education (Mr. A. H. A. Gem and Miss Grant S.
Clark) have presented a report to the Education Committee for the two years ended
September, 1933. The following are extracts taken from the section of that report
dealing with elementary schools.
This report covers the period September, 1931, to September, 1933. These two years have
been difficult ones for education and in physical training progress has been retarded. Many
schemes which were nearing completion have had to be suspended and further developments
postponed. Nevertheless, progress can be recorded and much has been accomplished to
consolidate the advances already made. This has only proved possible because of the loyal
co-operation of the teachers who have worked hard to give the children the physical education
which is their due.
Infants'
schools.
In the younger classes the chief points aimed at in a physical training lesson are to give
healthy, joyous activity and to teach the children to play together in safety. When the teacher
enters into the spirit of the lesson, a happy period of play with a little useful training underlying
it is the result. Later on, in the simple informal exercises used, the children learn to pay a certain
amount of attention to detail, and gain in control and balance and general poise. It is very rare
to find a school where the majority of the staff does not now give a vigorous lesson and believe
in the value of these periods of exercise. To those not versed in the life of an infant school it is
sometimes quite a revelation to see the way in which a well handled class can manage itself in
free play with simple apparatus such as balls and ropes.
Generally speaking, by the time the children are eleven years of age, they should have
gained an interest in various types of physical activity and a considerable knowledge of the
exercises appropriate to their age, that is to say, they should have acquired the habit of really
purposeful work.
They may be reasonably expected to have become fairly skilful in the performance of all
the exercises and activities contained in the appropriate portion of the syllabus of the Board
of Education and to have mastered the correct method of handling the jumping ropes, as well
as the more elementary jumps. They should also have learned to play chasing games, simple
ball handling games and practices and the more vigorous relay-racing games quietly and
unselfishly, observing the rules in a sporting spirit. In the final year in the junior school, the
children should be able to carry out with real understanding "group activities" under leaders,
and by this period they should have acquired definite skill in handling a ball, particularly in the
simpler types of free team game, and a mastery of the elementary points in attack and defence.
It might reasonably be said that such a range of material is considerably in advance of the
requirements of the 1919 syllabus of physical training, which is the text-book on which the
schools work. For several years past, however, the teachers' classes which have been held have
dealt with this more ambitious material and the schools are thus well aware that work in advance
of the 1919 syllabus is expected nowadays. The Board of Education, appreciating the position
which has thus arisen throughout the country, are shortly to produce a revised edition of the
syllabus, and it is confidently expected that the new edition will embrace many of the features
which have for some time past formed part of the training scheme in the teachers' classes.*
Although the ground has to some extent been prepared beforehand, and although the work
of the better teachers will most probably be found to be quite up to the standard of the revised
syllabus, nevertheless the task which lies before the organising staff of introducing the newer
syllabus to the schools in general is a formidable one, and is likely to absorb much of their time
in the near future.
* Since the above was written the Board's syllabus for 1933 has been issued.