London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Handicapped pupils
At the end of the year special educational treatment was being provided for more than 10,500 pupils, and the following table shows the main categories of handicap and numbers of pupils receiving full-time special educational treatment:
| Day special schools | Boarding special schools | Hospitals | Non-Council boarding schools, hostels, foster-homes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind | — | 48 | — | 66 |
| Partially sighted | 311 | — | — | 7 |
| Deaf and partially deaf | 312* | 53 | — | 63 |
| Physically handicapped | 1,152 | 74 | 409 | 42 |
| Delicate | 1,418 | 299 | — | 89 |
| Educationally sub-normal | 3,332 | 510 | — | 66 |
| Epileptic | — | — | — | 38 |
| Maladjusted | 43 | 211 | 45 | 285 |
*Includes 69 pupils in partially deaf units.
In addition part-time special educational treatment at day special classes was provided
for 319 maladjusted pupils and 1,507 pupils with speech defects.
During the year the numbers of new formal ascertainments were as follows:
| Day | Boarding | |
|---|---|---|
| Blind | — | 24 |
| Partially sighted | 35 | — |
| Deaf and partially deaf | 35 | 6 |
| Delicate | 548 | 612* |
| E.S.N | 813 | 124 |
| Epileptic | — | 9 |
| Maladjusted | 121 | 169 |
| Physically handicapped | 216 | 16 |
| Speech defect | 1,027 | 25† |
| Dual defect | — | 39 |
*Including diabetic and E.S.N./Delicate.
†Including 12 pupils already E.S.N, and seven already P.H.
The following table gives details of the numbers of children found to be no longer in need of special educational treatment during 1955:
| Day | Boarding | |
|---|---|---|
| E.S.N | 106 | 10 |
| Physically handicapped | 85 | 6 |
| Partially sighted | 26 | — |
| Maladjusted | 141 | 21 |
| Deaf and partially deaf | 12 | 2 |
| Epileptic | — | 4 |
| Blind | — | 3 |
| Speech defect | 405 | — |
The above figures include children enabled to leave school at the age of 15 years
on the grounds that education in a special school is no longer necessary. Particulars of
children discharged from schools for the delicate are not shown as the need for this
type of special educational treatment is, as a rule, for comparatively short periods.
Section 57 of the Education Act, 1944, deals with the examination and reporting to
the local health authority of children considered incapable of receiving education at
school, of children whom it is considered inexpedient to educate with other children
and of children needing supervision under the enactments relating to mental health
Educationally
subnormal
children
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