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67
A number of children are found each year who are deemed
to be slightly under-nourished, and who require to be kept under
observation on this account. During the year under review 85
such cases were noted; this number is higher than in previous
years, 38 cases being recorded in 1933 and 68 cases in 1932. Where
the family circumstances are poor, the head-teachers are asked to
arrange for the children to have a free supply of milk through the
milk-in-schools scheme. For some years the provision of milk
has been sanctioned by the Education Committee and at the end of
the year a free supply of milk was being given to 896 children.
There can be no doubt that this daily ration of milk provides in
these cases just the small amount of extra food of a specially
nutritive character needed to prevent the child from eventually
becoming classed as under-nourished. Further information regarding
the provision of milk in schools is given on page 89.
(b) Uncleanliness.—Table IV, Group 6 (page 104), indicates
that 30,569 examinations were made by the school nurses with
regard to uncleanliness and that 760 individual children were
found unclean. It may be stated that even if only one nit is
found the Board of Education require that the child should be
recorded as unclean. Where a few nits only are found instructions
regarding methods of cleansing are sent to the parents, but where
vermin or many nits are discovered the child is immediately
excluded from school and is not allowed to attend until re-examined
at the Health Centre and found to be clean. Children excluded on
account of uncleanliness made 855 attendances for the purpose of
being examined to ascertain if their heads had been cleansed and
if re-admission to school was possible.
As in previous years, the heads of all the children attending
the public elementary schools, with the exception of the senior
boys' departments, were inspected at least three times. The school
nurses in accordance with previous practice, visited the schools for
this purpose immediately following the Christmas, Easter and
Summer holidays. Following the 30,183 examinations carried out
in this way 361 exclusions were necessary, which is equal to 1.2
per cent, being excluded. It will be seen from the table which
follows that there has been an increase in this percentage of exclusions
over the previous year and that for the first time in three
years it was found necessary to prosecute because children were