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of greater responsibility for the care of the handicapped and
the School Health Service has a particularly important part
to play in this process in that decisions taken during the
early formative years profoundly influence the future lives
of these children. Although day and residential special
schools will always be necessary for some handicapped
children the emphasis is changing in favour of special units
integrated into ordinary schools. In this way children with
handicaps will mix more with other children and their
adaptation to. normal community life will be made much
easier later on.
Although it is natural to stress the work done for handicapped
children the " bread and butter " jobs must not be
taken too much for granted. Part I of the Tables provides
interesting information in regard to the general health supervision
of the 12,000 schoolchildren in the Borough. It will
be noted that not less than 6,083 were examined by school
medical officers during the year. In addition 1,910 reinspections
were made of children previously seen. Part II
gives an account of the defects found at these inspections and
provides the justification for the considerable amount of
time devoted to periodic medical inspections. Many of these
defects would not have been discovered were it not for these
examinations, particularly those relating to vision, hearing
and orthopaedic defects, and could well have interfered
materially with educational progress. Early psychological
defects can be discussed with parents and teachers at a stage
when simple adjustments of attitudes and environment is all
that is necessary to restore stability. Although the School
Health Service is very interested in manifest disease (and
here it works in close collaboration with the family doctors)
its aim has always been to watch for early deviations from
health and by correcting them prevent the onset of more
serious illness. It is this preventive outlook which gives it its
special place among the health services.
It is appropriate, at this stage, to recall that it is 17 years
since the Borough of Bexley assumed responsibility for the
local administration of the School Health Service in view
of the fact that the Bexley Education (Divisional Administration)
Scheme, 1945, under which the delegation from the
Kent Education Committee was made, will come to an end
on April 1st, 1965 when the new London Borough of Bexley
will become an autonomous Education authority. From the
point of view of the School Health Service this has proved
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