London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Dagenham 1957

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]

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Epileptic
Of the 26 epileptic children known to the authority, only 5 children of school age
are considered so severely handicapped by epilepsy as to require special educational
treatment. 2 are attending day special school, 2 are attending residential special school
and 1 is awaiting placement. 12 children are attending ordinary schools and of the 9
pre-school children only 1 is receiving special educational treatment and is in a residential
nursery.
Maladjusted
Schooling for maladjusted children is mainly residential as these cases need the
constant supervision of staff and more help than can be given in day schools. Of the 18
children requiring special schooling 15 are in residential special school, 2 are awaiting
placement in day school and 1 is awaiting placement in residential special school. 6
children are remaining at ordinary schools and 4 are of pre-school age.
Physically Handicapped
We are fortunate in having the Bentry School to which we send the great majority
of the physically handicapped school children in the area, and of a total of 73 school
age children requiring special educational treatment, 68 are attending day special school
(most of these in Bentry). 1 is receiving education in hospital, 1 is awaiting placement
in a day special school and 3 are receiving home tuition. 61 handicapped children can
remain in ordinary schools and 47 pre-school children are on the register.
Speech Defect
2 school children attend day special school and 1 attends a residential school for
speech defects.
Educationally Subnormal
Bentry School takes the greatest number of educationally subnormal children in
Dagenham and with the opening of schools for this type of child in south Essex which
have taken children from Bentry to their now areas, the waiting time for admission of
Dagenham children has decreased recently. A total of 271 children are ascertained as
requiring special educational treatment. 170 children are in day special school (mainly
Bentry), 15 children are awaiting placement in day special school, 10 children are in
residential special school and 2 are awaiting placement in residential special school.
There are also 44 children known to be educationally subnormal attending ordinary
schools and of the 9 pre-school children 1 is already receiving special educational treatment.
These figures do not include the large number of children still in ordinary schools
but considered to be educationally subnormal but not so retarded that they cannot
progress slowly up the school at their own pace. What the size of this problem is both
the teachers and the school medical officers must determine, because without a knowledge
of the need for further provision no persuasive action by educationalists or medical
officers can be taken to press for increased provision.
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