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It has been our experience that the regular use of the
Pure Tone Audiometer is a great help in the health supervision
of the children and has now become a regular part
of the work carried out by the School Health Service.
Cleanliness Inspections.
(See Table D).
A feature of the health of schoolchildren in the Borough
for many years has been the exceptionally low rate of infestation
of schoolchildren with vermin. This is now being recognised
by a substantial reduction in the number of school inspections
by Health Visitors for this purpose. Cleanliness inspections
are now carried out in secondary schools only when
they are requested by head teachers. In primary schools
regular cleanliness inspections have been discontinued where,
at three consecutive inspections, no cases of uncleanliness
have been found but further inspections are made if
requested by the head teacher or it appears that special circumstances
warrant an intensification of this work.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
I am indebted to the Physical Education Advisers, Mr.
J. Hopkins and Miss J. Hulton for the following report:—
During 1958 much good work was seen in the Borough
Schools. The syllabus tends to get wider each year and no longer
is it true that the children are only taught exercises. In the
Borough it is possible during the appropriate season to see
football, cricket, hockey, basketball, modern educational
dance, folk dancing; weight and circuit training, cross
country running, boxing, rounders, netball, athletics and
swimming. This wide field is covered by allotting a definite
number of training sessions to the practice of a particular
game or skill and during this short "season" nothing else
is allowed to interfere with this concentration of effort.
Naturally the performance obtained in such a short time is
not of the highest quality, but standards are obtained which
are good enough to give the boy or girl a working knowledge
of the game or skill involved. By giving the pupils a
broad training it is hoped that sufficient will have been taught
to enable them to practise and perfect any particular branch
of Physical Education in which they take a keen interest.
The perfecting of various skills such as are needed for football,
cricket, hockey, gymnastics, fencing and netball, are
often done as club activities when teachers and pupils gather
together after school or in the dinner hour as specialist
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