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children in Secondary and Central Schools should enjoy
the privileges of fully equipped gymnasia with changing
rooms and showers while those in the Senior Schools
have to accept the less useful portable apparatus with
its limited possibilities and hygienic conditions which
preclude much of the valuable training in the proper
care and cleanliness of the body. The extension of the
school leaving age to 15 years next September increases
the urgent need for improved facilities and we are
therefore very gratified with the Committee's decision
to provide gymnasia at four of the Senior Schools as
well as at the new Central School. We confidently
hope that the provision of these facilities will do much
to create in the pupils a keen desire to continue health
giving activities on leaving school.
A feature of this year's work in the Senior Girls'
Schools has been the inclusion in the time-table of
either Greek or Central European Dancing. This has
been received by the girls with great enthusiasm and
has resulted in a marked increase in poise and control
of movement, and an accompanying lack of selfconsciousness
which has fully justified the introduction
of this subject. The services of really competent
pianists are essential to the development of this type of
dancing and the Committee generously appointed
three part-time pianists for this work.
3. Clothing.
In our first annual report (1936) we ventured to make
the following recommendation 'that proper gymnastic
shoes should be considered a necessary part of every
child's school equipment.' The type of shoe at present
in use has given very satisfactory service and we
anticipate that a yearly issue of shoes to the extent of
approximately 80 per cent, of the school population