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Physiotherapy. It is a source of grave concern and disappointment to
us that we have been unable to replace our last Physiotherapist who
left in May 1960. Every possible avenue has been explored, but it
seems that all Hospital and Orthopaedic Clinics are having equal
difficulty in finding applicants for such positions. For this reason
we cannot ask the help of our own Orthopaedic Clinic at Barking
Hospital; nor even, in many cases, can we refer the children for
treatment in their own area as their areas are in the same difficulty.
It is a problem which appears at first sight to have no hope of solution
unless Physiotherapists are graded differently and their remuneration
increased to make it commensurate with the essential
nature of their work. Recently however we have been informed that
the number of student Physiotherapists has increased by 35% since
1957 and we are hoping the benefits of the increase will be felt in
the near future.
The following table shows the number of children receiving group
or individual treatment at the beginning of 1960.
Group Breathing Exercises
(Twice a week) 18
Group Breathing Exercises and
daily postural drainage 6
Individual treatment (Daily or
at least twice a week) 14
Medical Inspections are held at the school each Wednesday morning and
parents are invited to attend by appointment. It is pleasing to be able to
report that there is an extremely happy relationship between medical and
teaching staff and each case is discussed individually from all aspects.
Miss Storm, the Headmistress, has a wonderful understanding of these
children and is of the greatest help to us. The Educationally Sub-Normal
children are seen at a School Medical Inspection once a year and the
Open-Air and Physically Handicapped children are seen as nearly as
possible each term. In addition, children are also seen at the request
of the Head Teacher as the teaching staff are encouraged to bring forward
any cases where they feel there may be some health problem which
is not entirely satisfactory.
Accommodation is quite inadequate at the moment for all these medical
services, but we are hoping that a small medical suite will eventually
be allowed us so that our services may be run more satisfactorily.
Speech Therapy. There is a Speech Therapist who attends two full days
a week and whose work is most useful and indeed essential. It must be
realised how difficult it is to succeed in improving speech when children
are backward spastic, and infinite patience is required. Mrs. Houldgraves
who has been with us since April 1959 is a capable, kindly and
understanding Speech Therapist and we are very fortunate to have the
benefit of her services.
During 1960, Twenty-four children were receiving weekly treatment
or under observation by her.
Return to Ordinary School. It is rare for children once recommended for
admission as Educationally Sub-Normal to return to an ordinary school,
for the simple reason that we avoid admission to Faircross unless it is
quite obvious that their ability to learn is too seriously impaired to allow
any hope of improvement in an ordinary school. Conversely, some of
the Children who might strictly speaking be classed as ineducable are
retained at Faircross even if there is only a modicum of achievement in
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