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4) Talks to school leavers on food hygiene are given by public health
inspectors. During the year 10 talks were given to 400 children.
A total of 28 out of 132 schools in the Borough now have health
education programmes as follows:-
No. of Schools with
Schools in Health Education
Borough Programmes
Secondary Girls 9 7
Secondary Boys 9 4
Secondary Mixed 13 5
Juniors 49 10
Infants 50 2
Junior & secondary mixed 2
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
The School Health Service is not generally available to children attending
non-maintained schools, although Section 78 of the Education Act, 1944, provides
for the extension of all or part of the service to such schools, subject to agreement
between the proprietors and the local authority. There are certain facets of the
School Health Service, however, in which private schools are included. They are:-
1) The consultant orthopaedic, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and
psychiatric services are available to all school children since the
consultants are officers of the Regional Hospital Board working under
the National Health Service Act which does not differentiate between
state-maintained and non-state-maintained school children.
2) Under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act the Council is
responsible for providing immunisation against infectious disease,
including B.C.G. vaccination, to all school children.During 1966,
330 children attending private schools were immunized against
tuberculosis by the School Health Service.
3) Section 34 of the Education Act requires that all children in the
Borough needing special educational treatment should be the
responsibility of the Council.
The last requirement has given the Education Committee some concern since
during the year it was asked to assume responsibility for two children aged 15 years
and 14 years respectively needing special education abroad. These handicapped
children had, until shortly before the request been unknown to the School Health
Service. The Council's medical staff can only be in a really satisfactory position
to advise on the merits of such request if they have had an opportunity to observe
such children from an early stage in their school careers. Following the review of
the School Health Service, the possibility is being investigated of extending it at
least in some measure to private schools.
SCHOOLGIRL MOTHERS
Until a few years ago the pregnant schoolgirl was a sufficiently rare
occurrence to call for no special consideration by the Health Department other than
that given to any unsupported mothers. In my review of the School Health Service
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