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BENTRY SCHOOL
The Bentry School continues to provide educational facilities for the physically
and mentally handicapped children of Dagenham and the surrounding district. A weekly
medical session is held in the school. Routine medical inspections, examination of new
entrants and immunisations are all carried out at these sessions. Parents are encouraged
to attend, and many problems are solved by discussion with them and with the headmaster.
We aim at giving the mentally handicapped children a yearly intelligence test, but
due to shortage of medical officers who are approved to carry out these tests, this still
remains an ideal.
School leavers are given a special examination which includes a physical examination
and an intelligence test. Their special aptitudes are then discussed with parents, headmaster
and youth employment officer, and an effort is made to place them in congenial
employment.
During the year we found it expedient to curtail the number of children who go
swimming; this was so that a small number of severely handicapped children should
be given more concentrated attention.
The school enjoys a very happy atmosphere which no doubt is due to the co-operation
of the headmaster and all the staff.
We are always very gratified when parents tell us that their children are much
happier and easier to manage since coming to the school.
The following report has been received from Mrs. F. Cocker, the physiotherapist
who attends at the Bentry School:—
"The Bentry School is divided into two parts, one part for the physically handicapped
children, the other part for the E.S.N. children; these educationally sub-normal
children need very little physiotherapy treatment, a small percentage of the children
come to the class for general postural exercises and some children come to the class for
foot exercises, as many of these children have a typical congenital pes planus.
With regard to the physically handicapped children, 50% come under the heading
of cerebral palsied, approximately 20% are suffering from the after effects of anteriorpoliomyelitis,
while most of the remaining children are the victims of accidents or postural
deformities, three of the children have a severe and fixed scoliosis. In addition there are
two or three children with muscular dystrophy or muscular atrophy and one or two with
chronic poly-neuritis.
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