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75
Two crippled boys who were unable to attend the ordinary
school were maintained at Special Residential Schools. All the
other children suffering from crippling conditions were able to
attend the public elementary schools like normal children—a very
satisfactory state of things which has been mainly due to the
marked improvement in their condition resulting from orthopaedic
treatment.
Five feeble-minded children, three girls and two boys, were
maintained at Special Residential Schools. There were 37 feebleminded
children, 20 girls and 17 boys, in attendance at public
elementary schools.
In the Report for 1928 it was stated that a Conference, representing
the local education authorities of Middlesex, Brentford and
Chiswick, Heston and Isle worth, and Ealing, were considering the
establishing of a Special Day School for Mentally Defective Children.
This Conference met in October, 1929, and in view of the Report
of the Mental Deficiency Committee again considered the question
of providing a Special Day School. Differences of opinion were
expressed as to the kind of children who should be provided for,
whether low grade or high grade feeble-minded. The Conference
therefore adjourned until each authority should make a survey
of all the mentally defective children in its area and, having at its
disposal definite numbers, come to some decision as to the class of
children for whom, in the first place, provision should be made
in a Special Day School.
On the decision of the Conference being reported to the Education
Committee the following resolutions were passed:—
" (i) That the necessary steps be taken as soon as possible to
accommodate low-grade mentally defective children in
Occupation Centres or Residential Special Schools
according to the nature of the defect.
" (ii) That retarded children be dealt with in each school as a
part of the Hadow Re-organisation Scheme, on the
understanding that it may be necessary to transfer such
children from small and badly graded schools.