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24
(9) OPEN-AIR EDUCATION.
(а) Playground Classes.—All schools, including the Open-air
School, have playground classes during the summer months when
weather is suitable. Drill is also taken in the open when weather
permits.
The value of these open-air classes can hardly be overestimated.
They should be encouraged, and whilst, with regard to
drill, I have repeated the text of the report for the previous year,
I myself feel that this same idea should be stated from a different
angle. I would put the matter thus—that drill must be taken in
the open unless weather conditions forbid. In other words, there
should always be a very satisfactory reason if drill is not taken in
the open air.
(b) School Journeys.—No school journeys were undertaken,
although several visits were paid to places of educational interest.
(c) School Camps.—No school camps were held, but four
holiday camps, each of two weeks duration, were held as in previous
years at Hainault for necessitous children, whilst, for the same class
of children, during the period 20th May to 23rd September, twelve
week-end camps were arranged at the same place.
All the children were medically examined by the staff prior
to going to camp.
These holiday camps have earned a well deserved reputation
and their extension is, I know, a question in which you are rightly
interested.
(d) Open air Class-rooms in Public Elementary Schools.—
Apart from the class-rooms of the Special School, which belong
to the type of open-air rooms, none of the elementary schools of
the district possess open-air class-rooms. To some extent this
difficulty, however, is provided against in the classes of the Park
Modern School and St. Joseph's Infants' School.
The fact that your Special School is often called an open-air
school reflects adversely on those who were responsible for the
building of the ordinary elementary schools, because ail schools
should be built on the open-air principle such as you have