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74
When I reported on the 17th February, the report was called for
because I felt that if the Committee were inclined to accept the offer
of a limited number of places in the Special School of the Acton Education
Authority they might do better by establishing a scheme to deal with all
the children in Ealing by means of classes, called Craft Classes, for backward
children and mental defectives as a temporary measure until a
Special School, as suggested in my Annual Report, could be established.
I have still the feeling that such classes, if they could have been quietly
established in suitable schools, might have met the difficulty for the
present. The initiation of such a scheme, however, was dependent on
co-operation all round so that when opposition was made failure was
bound to follow.
What is to be done now? That is the question to be decided.
I feel that I can only refer you again to my Annual Report and recommend
you to consider the combination of other Local Authorities in providing
a Day School for Mentally Defective Children for a wider area and I
would suggest that, if a Conference is called, it should be called by the
County Education Committee who might be partners in the scheme.
Even if the sanction of the Board of Education may not be obtained
for carrying such a scheme into execution at the present time, nevertheless
the ground may be explored and, if necessary, tentative arrangements
entered into.
THOMAS ORR,
School Medical Officer.
26th May, 1927.
The recommendation contained in this report was accepted by
the Education Committee, with the result that the County Education
Committee called the Conference at which the representatives
unanimously approved of the proposal and decided to approach
the Board of Education for its sanction. This is as far as the
proposal has gone.