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Infectious diseases in schools
When a pupil is absent from school, and the cause is either known or suspected to be
due to infectious disease, the head of the school notifies the divisional medical officer
and the borough medical officer of health.
These notifications are uncorrected for diagnosis, but they form the best available
index of the trend of infectious disease in the school community and are the only figures
available in respect of diseases which are not statutorily notifiable.
When the number of cases of infectious disease reported from a particular school
indicates the possibility of an outbreak, special visits are made by a school health visitor
and, if necessary, by a school doctor, in order to investigate the situation and take
whatever control action is considered desirable.

Dysentery outbreaks in schools
During 1957 the Education Committee gave attention to the problem of the prevention
of dysentery outbreaks in schools. The infection is transmitted mainly by personal
contact, and it has been shown that this often occurs in the water closet. To break the
chain of infection three things are desirable : (i) an adequate number of sanitary fittings
that can be easily cleaned ; (ii) a high standard of day-to-day cleanliness of these fittings ;
and (iii) facilities for washing hands, and such training or supervision as is necessary to
see that they are used.
Some £250,000 has been spent since the war on the provision of urinals, water closets,
wash basins and the supply of hot water to wash basins in the older schools to bring them
up to the standard required in the School Building Regulations. The current sanitary
programme is devoted almost entirely to the improvement of existing facilities, involving
expenditure at the rate of over £50,000 a year. The work includes roofing
and the enclosure of outside blocks, glazed urinals, wash basins and wherever possible,
some water closets inside the school.
In most schools ordinary roller towels have been in use. This is the least satisfactory
method of hand drying and is a ready means of spread of infection ; moreover the
fabric of this type of towel is often practically unabsorbent. Following successful
experiments at both new and old schools, it has been decided, in principle, to install
cabinets with automatic pull-down linen roller towels in all schools. During the financial
year 1957-58 they were to be installed in all secondary schools, and in 50 junior and
30 infants' schools, at a cost of about £30,000.
Head teachers and school keepers have accordingly been asked to continue to take
every step to ensure that scrupulous attention to good hygienic practice is observed.
Handicapped pupils
The changes over the past 30 years in the special educational treatment provided for
physically handicapped pupils are reviewed on pages 124 to 142 of this report. This
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