View report page

8
change over from age 8 to age 7 would take about five years. Greater progress with
the change-over was effected than was anticipated, thanks to the energy which all
concerned put into the work; and during 1934, instead of only a fifth of the sevenyear-old
group coming under examination as was anticipated, well over a third
were completed; this rate of progress has been continued in 1935 and the changeover
should be completed within 3 years instead of the 5 years originally contemplated.
In view of the special character of the examination of the 8-year-old group, the
results of their inspection will be separately treated in the following analysis of the
results. In accordance with the precedent of previous years, the results of inspection
of the leaver group will also be separately analysed.
The number of elementary school children examined in the three statutory
age groups (entrants, children aged 7 and children aged 11) during the year 1935
was 135,994. These were made up of 55,591 entrants, 31,965 children aged 7, and
48,438 children aged 11.
The children aged 8 coming under preliminary survey by the school doctors were
17,495, of whom 2,185 were submitted to detailed examination. In addition, 53,209
children were examined in detail in the term prior to that in which they were due
to leave school, and 1,203 children in special schools were examined on reaching
their respective age groups.
In addition to routine groups, children referred by nurses, school teachers, care
committee workers, divisional officers, etc., for examination for special reasons
numbered 125,199; and 21,713 were examined in connection with outbreaks of
infectious disease.
The total inspections amounted to 353,610. To these must be added the
children, 158,686 in number, who were re-inspected because of some previously
noted defect.
As inspections of all kinds and re-inspections totalled no less than 512,296 it is
clear that, although some duplicate inspections are included, very few indeed of
the children in school escaped coming under the eye of the doctor in some way or
another during the course of the year.
Co-operation
of parents.
Parents are invited to be present at all routine inspections, and attended in
78.5 per cent. of the examinations in the three prescribed age groups, compared with
77.6 per cent, in 1934 and 74.1 per cent, in 1933. At the inspection of entrants, the
proportion was 91.3 per cent., and in the "leaver" group 41.7 per cent. It is most
satisfactory to be able to note each year a very distinct advance in the interest of
the parents in the inspections. The presence of the parent has a very considerable
effect, and relieves very greatly the task of following-up, as it eliminates the necessity
for home visiting and correspondence.
The reluctance of the older boys to be considered "tied to their mothers' apron
strings " is shown by the poor attendance of parents at the inspections of leaver
boys (33.9 per cent.) compared with attendance at inspections of leaver girls (49.7
per cent.). The very high percentage (91.3) of attendance of mothers at the
inspection of entrant infants is a very important feature of the school medical
inspections, as it affords an opportunity to the school doctor for imparting valuable
advice at the outset of the children's school career, and enables much to be done to
eradicate faults and defects which unfortunately are often already present before
school life begins.
Refusals of parents to submit children for medical inspection are so few in
number as to be almost negligible. During the year 1935, the parents of 65 children
(29 boys, 36 girls) being exactly the same number as in 1934, and compared with
89 in 1933, refused to allow them to be examined by one of the Council's assistant
medical officers. Four objections were subsequently withdrawn, and in 10 instances
either medical record cards were completed by a private medical practitioner or
medical certificates as to physical fitness were produced. The cases were distributed
amongst the divisions as follows : N., 8 ; N.E., 10 ; N.W., 15 ; S.E., 16 ; S.W., 16.
The number of children subjected to routine inspection in the three prescribed
age groups who were referred for treatment was 55,918, 41.1 per cent, of the number
examined. This figure includes 41,357 cases noted by the school doctors for dental