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49
Oven-air education.
Provision for education in the open air includes nine day open-air schools
(non-tuberculosis) with accommodation for 1,460 children, and six day open-air
schools (tuberculosis) accommodating 515 children. There are also seven country
and seaside convalescent camp schools, accommodating 520 children for periods
varying from one to three months, through which 4,432 children pass annually;
and 220 open-air classes in playgrounds and parks providing for upwards of 6,000
children.
Provision.
The nine day open-air schools for non-tuberculous children maintained by the
Council have continued their excellent work. The following table gives the roll of
these schools on 19th December, 1934:—
Open-air
schools for
non-tuberculous
children.
Boys. Girls. Total.
Aspen House 89 58 147
Bow Road 109 82 191
Brent Knoll 84 48 132
Charlton Park 86 59 145
Downham 94 51 145
Holly Court 179 115 294
Stowey House 156 116 272
Upton House 86 60 146
Wood Lane 85 58 143
Total 968 647 1,615*
*Note—The roll of an open-air school may be 20 per cent, above the nominal accommodation.
Interesting reports are invariably received from the school doctors regularly
visiting the day open-air schools (Type 0). Two such reports on the work of the
year are set out below. Dr. T. Legge has reported as follows upon Holly Court
open-air school:—
Holly Court
open-air
school.
Number on roll, January, 1934 241*
Number admitted during the year 136
Children removed from roll during 1934—
Fit for elementary school ana over age 67
Removals from district 10
Transferred back to elementary school at parents' request 11
For periods at convalescent hospitals 17
Miscellaneous 9
114
* Note—Admissions exceeded discharges during the year by about 50.
As a site for an open-air school in London, Holly Court cannot be beaten. It lies on a
southern slope of the "northern heights," on the borders of Parliament Hill Fields, Kenwood
and Hampstead Heath. This unsurpassed situation gives great scope for many delightful rambles
for nature study and for open-air geography.
Physical activities have been largely incorporated into the lessons. A considerable proportion
of the work consists in gardening, woodwork, building construction, nature rambles,
dancing, singing and games. The new Board of Education syllabus of physical training has
been adopted with slight modifications, the more strenuous exercises being omitted. For these
physical activities the classes are organised into boy's and girl's sections separately, whereas for
the ordinary school work the classes are " mixed."
The summer of 1934 being particularly sunny, progressive sun bathing was much indulged
in during the warmer months on the school lawn ; the special sun bathing costumes being
designed and made at the school.
A marked feature of the school is the small number of children who contracted infectious
diseases, there being only three cases of notifiable disease during the year.
About 12 to 20 is the average number of minor ailments treated daily by the sister at the
school.
Steps are now being taken to improve the facilities for drying wet clothes at the school;
and the voluntary boot club continues to function in a satisfactory manner.
Much thought has been given by the head master and staff, to the question of the children's
diet. It has been possible to improve and vary the menus considerably. Particularly have the
amo.ints of milk, fresh fruit, vegetables and salads been increased. That bane of institutional
feeding, the stereotyped weekly menu, with the same dishes re-appearing on the same days of
the week invariably and ad nauseam, has been done away with. Here the children never know
beforehand what the piece-de-resistance and " afters " for mid-day dinner are going to be. This