View report page

15
30 were attending St. Giles' School
2 were attending St. Margaret's School, Croydon.
2 were attending St. Christopher's School.
4 were attending Residential Schools for Physically
Handicapped Children.
1 was attending a Unit for Partially Hearing Pupils-
2 were attending Special Day Schools outside Croydon.
1 was attending a normal private school.
15 were attending the Spastics Centre.
Dr. Anne Letts comments upon the practice in some schools of requiring
the children to wear indoor shoes. In practice the effect of such
a rule is that plimsolls are worn throughout the school day. Whilst these
rules probably reduce wear and tear on school buildings, the effect on the
health of the children is less advantageous. Plimsolls often fit badly,
quickly become outgrown and laces have a depressing habit of disappearing.
Cost acts as an effective deterrent against early renewal so that the use
of unsatisfactory footwear continues far longer than can be considered accep
table. The role played by such footwear in the production of permanent deformities
of the feet is now well recognised so that this indirect encouragement
of bad health habits during early life is particularly unfortunate. Moreover,
since there is no obvious parallel between this rule and equivalent
conditions in adult society it is difficult to see how the practice can be
justified.
Defects of the Nervous System
There has been a slight increase in the number of children known to
be suffering from epilepsy. During the year the British Epilepsy Association
held a one-day conference in Croydon concerning the medical, educational
and social problems which epileptic children present. The School
Health Service was well represented but the opportunity provided by the
conference was almost entirely lost by the complete absence of representatives
from the teaching profession in Croydon. The views of educational
colleagues were sadly missed both in the formal sessions and
in informal meetings throughout the day.
Psychological Defects
Although psychological defects account for only 4% of the defects discovered
at school medical inspections (Table 3) it is likely that the true
incidence is much higher. Indeed Dr. Thelma Wield reports that this is the
defect which is most likely to be missed by current procedures in secondary
schools. Parents seldom attend the medical inspections of older children,
whilst the children themselves are usually reluctant to volunteer- such
information. Teachers have proved to be particularly helpful in drawing early
attention to the emotional problems of their pupils and the value of this