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

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Ealing 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]

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93
(c) Children with Heart Disease.—There were at the end of the
year 12 children suffering from a severely damaged heart attending
elementary schools in Ealing. These children it is recommended
should attend an open air school.

It may therefore be summarized that the following children would definitely benefit by an open air education:—

Physically Defective26
Delicate Children87
Cliildren with Heart Disease12
Other Cliildren10
135

It is difficult to estimate accurately the number of other children
who might find a place at the school but ten is taken as a reasonable
figure. The length of stay of each child varies and although the
average is six months, a few children may spend most of their school
life at an open air school, while others may require accommodation
for only two or three months so that the children will be constantly
moving with a varying number in regular attendance. To meet
all the requirements enumerated it may be estimated that the
school should be designed to cater for about 140 children, provision
being made for extension of the classrooms should this be called
for as the number of children attending public elementary
schools in Ealing increases.
Suggested Site for School.—It may be taken that a central
site for an open air school is not available, but as most of the children
would have to be conveyed daily to and from school a central site
is not absolutely essential, particularly as the homes of the children
are widely separated and the distance to be covered by the conveyance
is comparatively long. The site recently acquired at Northolt
for school purposes would be as readily accessible as any other.
Cost of Transport.—It is impracticable without exact figures
as to the number of children to be dealt with and the distance to
be travelled to state the cost of transport but it may be said that
the yearly cost of conveying children in Willesden to a Special School