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16
Examinations
in
connection
with special
schools
In December, about 40 special classes for defective children were functioning
in London. In all, 864 children were examined in London or in the reception areas
as to their suitability for special education. Of these, 127 and 291, respectively, were
certified as fit for instruction at day schools for the mentally or physically defective.
Of the children attending and seen in special schools and at the special parties for
handicapped children, 165 were sufficiently improved to justify return to elementary
school instruction, and 128 children over 14 years of age were excluded from special
schools as being no longer certifiable.
Higher
education
institutions
Dental
inspection
At higher education institutions 3,273 students were inspected. In addition,
200 reviews and re-inspections were carried out.
During the year, 57,341 children were submitted for inspection by the school
dental surgeons and 44,818 were found to need treatment, a percentage of 78*1
compared with 69.7 in 1938.
Medical treatment
In all, 63,158 children received treatment at the various centres, of whom
31,180 were dental cases. During the year, 302 children were admitted to the
Council's hospitals as in-patients for the treatment of rheumatism, and 335 were
discharged therefrom. Thirteen of the rheumatism supervisory centres functioned,
at which 432 children were seen at some time during the year. At the nutrition
centres 166 children were specially examined.
Personal hygiene scheme
Owing to enemy action some of the records relating to personal hygiene examinations
in schools by the nursing staff were lost, but, of 329,697 examinations, records
of which are extant, 7.9 per cent. showed verminous infestation, including some
very slight cases, compared with 6.6 in 1939 and 7.3 in 1938. During the year,
37,696 children were dealt with at the children's bathing centres.
Milk in schools scheme
The education officer has given the following figures as to the " milk in schools "
scheme—
Date
No. of school
children in
London
No. of children
having milk
Percentage
receiving
milk
Percentage of
"free " cases of
those receiving
milk
1. 3.40
31. 5.40
15.11.40
19. 2.41
200,000
(estimated)
161,126*
23,473*
65,948*
53,578
(includes 30,000
out of school)
96,544
14,015
43,717
Actually attending school
265
59.9
59.7
66.3
59
7.7
6.9
4.17
Effect of air raids on school children
Enquiries as to the effect of air raids on school children were, in November,
made from the doctors who had been daily working among the children in the schools
and in the rest centres and in the examination of the children registered for evacuation.
The unanimous response was that no evidence had been found of nervous
disorder or shock arising from air-raid experience, but that the children were standing
up to it as well as, or better than, the adults. It is of interest to record that the
routine examinations of 15,000 children were carried out in school during the last
four months of the year, in spite of the attempts by the enemy to interfere with
our normal routine.
Infectious disease in schools
The usual arrangements were made regarding the control of infectious diseases
in such schools as were open in the year, but the figures which are available as to
incidence of diseases are vitiated by reason of the great movements of the school
population due to the various evacuation schemes.