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f. Methods employed or available for the treatment of defects,
including work of School Nurses.
g. Review of action taken to detect and prevent the spread of
infectious diseases, including closure of schools or exclusion
of children from Schools.
h. Review of methods adopted for dealing with blind, deaf,
mentally or physically defective and epileptic children.
i. Review of methods of instruction in personal Hygiene and
temperance in Public Elementary Schools, including
physical or breathing exercises and arrangements for open
air or camp schools.
The Urban District of Acton has an area of 2304 acres and an
estimated population at the end of June 1908 of 55,000 inhabitants.
The average number of children on the books was 8564 and the
average number of children in attendance throughout the year
was 7708.
There are in the district 10 schools and 23 departments. Some
of these schools have been erected quite recently and conform to the
highest standard of hygiene.
The older schools leave much to be desired in the matter of
sanitation and hygiene. A short description is given of each school,
and in order that the condition of the buildings may be compared
with what is demanded in new schools a short summary is given of
the building regulations issued in 1907 by the Board of Education,
These regulations are plainly unsuitable for any rigid application
to proposals for enlarging or otherwise improving existing buildings.
Every part of a school building should be thoroughly adapted to
the work of school teaching. The rooms should be grouped compactly
and conveniently so as to secure proper organisation and
supervision; every building intended for use as a public elementary
school must be planned so that the children who will attend can be
seated in the best manner for being taught.
For large departments containing from 350 to 600 places the
most suitable plan is that of the Central Hall with the class rooms
grouped round it; as a rule such a department would require from