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In addition to the eight Council boarding special schools, which provide 312 places for
boys and girls of all ages and which cater for most types of maladjustment, there were
approximately 100 non-Council schools and homes in use for the placing of London
maladjusted children in 1959. The numbers so placed in December, 1959 were as follows:
Type of establishment
No. of
establishments
No. of
children
Voluntary boarding special schools recognised by the Ministry 11 72
Voluntary boarding homes recognised by the Ministry 3 13
Boarding schools maintained by other L.E.As. 2 7
Boarding homes maintained by other L.E.As. 4 4
Independent boarding schools 65 329
Independent boarding homes 14 65
Foster homes 2 2
101 492
Some factors associated with maladjustment add to the problem of placing. Examples
are :
(i) borderline E.S.N./maladjusted children.
(ii) the adolescent girl with sex problems.
(iii) the adolescent boy who is aggressive, out of control.
(iv) children who need psychiatric treatment—as so few schools have facilities for
treatment.
(v) children who soil persistently.
(vi) psychotic children—very few schools will even consider psychotic children.
The time taken to find a vacancy for a maladjusted child varies considerably. A child
not at the top of the waiting list often has to be given priority for reasons such as exclusion
or threat of exclusion from day school, persistent truanting from day school or intolerable
home circumstances. There is usually a hard core of about six to ten boys for whom
vacancies are difficult to obtain and where placement is delayed in consequence: these
boys are generally in the 13-15 year old age group, very backward and of low intelligence
and with poor social backgrounds—many of them have strong delinquent tendencies and
have been involved in court proceedings. An added complication is often that of epilepsy;
other factors which may cause delay in making suitable placements are persistent soiling,
diurnal enuresis, and psychotic symptoms. With regard to girls, the demand is much
smaller, and apart from the occasional cases where sexual misdemeanours have taken
place the difficulties in obtaining suitable placements are more easily overcome.
One of the Council's boarding special schools, Anerley school, is used as a short-stay
assessment centre where maladjusted boys and girls go for a period of investigation and/or
treatment. The children admitted to Anerley are generally those about whom little information
is available at the time of ascertainment to guide the selection of boarding school.
After a short stay at Anerley, a recommendation is made as to the type of boarding
school or hostel most suitable for permanent placement. In some cases, after a short stay
at the school, the children are able to return home.
(j) Hospital placements—There is one particular group of severely disturbed children
who may find their way to schools for the maladjusted, but who are no better placed there
than in any other school. These children, some of whom are psychotic, are few but each
one creates a large problem for his family, his medical attendants, the hospital and local
authorities. The children cannot be educated in schools and there are only very few hospital
units where they can receive the treatment that they need, and which will enable some of
them to return to school or to employment. Hospital treatment is often prolonged, so
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