View report page

3
reorganised to cater for infant and nursery partially hearing in one class,
and infant and nursery deaf in another. A similar division was made for
juniors.
Maladjusted Children.
In connection with a welcome reduction in the waiting list for the Child
Guidance Clinic, the Consultant Psychiatrist mentions especially the work
of the Psychiatric Social Workers. The advent of the Social Services Act
raised the future problem of these officers being excluded from the
main establishment of local authority social workers, since they were to remain
members of the Education Department. This was not a matter which
could be pursued during the year under review. Possible pupils for the new
Sir Cyril Burt day school for the maladjusted were considered in relation to
the considerable number awaiting placement in residential schools. It is
hoped that the local facilities of day school and hostel will be ready by mid
1971.
Speech Disordered Children.
Dr. Worster Drought, Consultant Neurologist, who was the adviser to
the Speech Clinic and the special day school unit, retired at the end of the
year. He was one of the most experienced and skilled Neurologists in this
field of speech defects, and his advice and guidance were always most
helpful. He took special care to pass over his current cases to Dr. Hierons
who succeeds him.
Infectious Diseases.
No special difficulties arose. The Committee agreed that vaccination
against rubella could be offered to girls in their 14th year of age, and
performed in schools. We are very conscious of the interference with school
routine occasioned by such procedures, but it is the most efficient method
of protecting the largest number of susceptible individuals. The help of
school staffs in this connection was greatly appreciated.
Dental Services.
Recruitment of Dental Officers was most successful, and permitted inspection
of 93.7% of all children. Despite a growing programme of general
and special dental health education, the Chief Dental Officer reports that
the number of dentally unfit children, and the amount of dental decay observed,
increased. Also that the proportion of failed appointments for
treatment was almost 25%, of which two-thirds were unexplained failures
to attend.
Health Education.
The Principal Health Education Officer describes efforts to involve all
schools in the programmes on healthy living which have been tested and