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34
PART m HANDICAPPED PUPILS
There are some 649 children in Croydon who are sufficiently handicapped
to warrant the provision of special educational treatment facilities.
It is recognised that, wherever possible, handicapped pupils should
be educated in ordinary schools, although many practical difficulties may
make such an ideal impossible to attain. The number of children with
handicaps who are being educated in ordinary schools is not known precisely
and it is a great tribute to the teachers in Croydon that such
children seldom require the active intervention of the School Health
Service.
In 1966 a total of 161 pupils were ascertained by the Education
Committee as requiring special education although five of these pupils
subsequently moved away from the Borough. In the majority of cases
medical recommendations for special facilities are quite straightforward
but some children, either because of the complex nature of the handicap,
or because of its educational or social repercussions, require especial
consideration. These children frequently come to the attention of a number
of consultant specialists and it was therefore decided to convene a meeting
of the specialists principally involved to determine whether a more
detailed assessment of these children would be helpful. The meeting was
held on March 18th, 1966 and it was agreed to constitute a Consultant
Panel composed of the two consultant paediatricians and the consultant
child psychiatrist employed by the Croydon & Warlingham Park Hospital
Management Committee, together with the Principal School Medical Officer
(or his deputy) and the Corporation's adviser on mental subnormality.
Other specialists would be invited to join the Panel to discuss children
with whom they were particularly concerned, and family doctors would
also be invited to attend. The Panel met on two occasions during the
year and considered six cases.