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69
The pupils are, in accordance with the instructions of the Board of Education
inspected in detail on entrance, again at the age of 12, and at the age of 15; in all
other years the records of all pupils are reviewed, but a detailed examination is
only carried out when there is some special indication or request.
So far as the aided schools are concerned, medical inspection of all the pupils
by members of the Council's medical staff is carried out at 22 schools. At 21
other aided schools these inspections are conducted by doctors appointed by the
respective governors. The holders of Council's scholarships at 8 aided schools art
seen by the Council's staff at County Hall, the governors' doctors in those schools
confining themselves in the main to fee-payers, trust-fund scholars, etc.
In one non-aided school, the medical inspection of pupils is carried out by on
of the Council's medical officers at the request of the governors.
The figures subsequently analysed are derived only from the schools where the
medical inspections are carried out by the Council's own staff. No detailed reports
of medical inspections are received from those aided schools at which the pupils art
examined by the doctor appointed by the governors, but the record cards of all the
Council's scholarship children examined are sent for the school medical officer's
information at the end of each term.
Excluding students in training colleges, 14,899 pupils were examined during the
year by the Council's medical officers. Details of the distribution of these students
in the various institutions are given in the Appendix (table VII). In addition tc
the above, the records of 3,525 pupils not in the age groups were reviewed, but
detailed examinations were not deemed necessary. As might be expected, the
children in the secondary schools show a general superiority in freedom from physical
defect over children in the elementary schools, in no instance was the clothing
found to be poor, but in 6 cases infestation with vermin was noted.
Dental
condition.
The percentage of children, aged 12, with sound teeth was: boys, 88.1; girls,
79.3; but at the age of 15 this percentage had decreased by 4.2 per cent. among boys
and by 0.6 per cent. among girls. Of cases of widespread dental decay where 4 or
more teeth were affected, the percentage among boys and girls of 12 years old
was 1.8 and 1.3, respectively, compared with 1.1 in boys and 0.9 girls in leaving
elementary schools.
Vision.
At the age of 12, 81.2 per cent. of the boys and 77.1 per cent. of the girls were
able to pass the vision test, compared with 68.3 and 66.6 in elementary school
leavers. In secondary schools 17.5 per cent. of the boys and 14.9 per cent. of girls
were wearing glasses at the age of 12, but at the age of 15 the percentages were 20.9
boys and 21.9 girls.
In spite of the greater percentage wearing glasses at the age of 15, the percentage
of pupils passing the vision test was considerably less, viz., 76.1 per cent. among
boys and 72.2 per cent. among girls, suggesting that the more serious strain in
reading has a detrimental effect upon the eyesight.
Care of
eyesight in
secondary
schools.
In September, 1926, sight-saving education for myopic pupils was begun at
Clapton and Peckham (now Honor Oak) county secondary schools for girls and at
the Raine's foundation school for boys, and still continues.
Three central schools, Regent's Park, the Hugh Myddelton and the Ensham
also provide special education for the partially sighted. The Regent's Park class
was opened in January, 1936. These schools do excellent work and many scholastic
successes have been scored by the pupils.
Nutrition.
The nutritional state of the pupils in the secondary schools, as returned by the
school doctors, reverses the sex incidence of subnutrition found in elementary schools.
In the elementary schools, girls at each age are better nourished than boys, but
in the secondary schools, while only 3.4 per cent. of the boys are reported as subnormal,
amongst girls, 7.0 per cent. are so returned.
Apart from the reversal in sex incidence, the figures for nutrition are very
similar to those of the elementary school children.
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