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(5) Time at which the milk should be consumed.—It is advisable that the milk
should be given at a point as far as possible equidistant between meals. Where two
bottles are consumed a day, one should be taken in the morning and one in the
afternoon. The play intervals, both morning and afternoon, appear to be the most
appropriate times.
Trouble has occurred when the milk is given too soon after meals, and this
particularly in the afternoon, when milk was given sometimes before lessons began
(i.e., at 2 o'clock).
(6) Propaganda.—There appears still to be need for further efforts to convince
the parents (and, in a small minority of cases, the teachers) of the value of the
scheme.
One parent whose child was seen recently at the County Hall, and appeared
to be in need of additional nourishment, was asked why she did not take advantage
of the scheme. She replied that she would not dream of letting her child have school
milk, as it stood to reason that it must be stale and inferior milk which could not be
got rid of otherwise, or else it would not be sold at half price !
The beneficial results of the milk-in-schools scheme has naturally suggested
the desirableness of making some provision for its continuance throughout the
school holidays. The Education Committee therefore arranged, with the consent
of the Board of Education, for an experimental distribution of milk in the summer
and Christmas holidays of 1937 to some of the children who were receiving milk
in school on the recommendation of the school doctors.
In the summer holiday the experiment took place at six different centres, the
distribution being generally in the children's gymnasia in the parks, between
10 a.m. and 12 noon.
One bottle of milk daily was distributed to children who received two in termtime,
free or at half the normal charge, on the recommendation of the school
doctors. At Battersea park, children who received milk in school on the doctor's
recommendation, but paid the full charge, were also enabled to purchase a bottle
daily.
The arrangements made worked smoothly, and no serious difficulties were
experienced. In the parks, the children were dealt with by the parks staff, and their
efficient co-operation contributed very greatly to the success of the scheme. Comment
was made on the good behaviour of the children. They were tidy and left no litter.
The caps and straws from the bottles were carefully placed in the receptacles provided.
At Battersea park it was stated that the scheme brought increased numbers
of children to the park, and that they remained in the park for the whole day.
The attendances on the first day were, at each centre, the highest recorded,
and thereafter the numbers, although fluctuating slightly, generally speaking, declined
progressively. During the first seven days, attendances ranged from 57 per
cent. to 76 per cent. of those who had intimated their intention to attend, only
one being under 64 per cent. After the first seven days attendances fell, particularly
during the last days of the holiday, and the attendance for the whole period at all
the centres was 49.9 per cent. The decline cannot be attributed to the weather,
which was generally fine, or to the operations of the Children's Country Holidays
Fund, because large parties of children were taken away at the very beginning
of the holidays.
The general decline in the number of "doctors' cases" at the centres as the
holidays progressed was somewhat disappointing.
The attendances of the "paying" children at Battersea park, although affected
by Bank holiday and two wet days in the same way as the figures for the "free"
children, did not decline progressively, but actually increased as the holiday went
on. Ignoring the three exceptional days referred to, the average attendance was 73 per
cent. in the first half of the holiday, and 80 per cent. in the last half, and the average
attendance for the whole period was 67.9 per cent.. compared with 49.9 per cent,
for the free cases.
Experimental
distribution
of milk
during the
holidays