View report page

MEDICAL INSPECTION
Under Section 48 of the Education Act, 1944, it is the duty of every local
education authority to provide for the medical inspection, at appropriate intervals,
of pupils in attendance at any school or county college maintained by them. The
local education authority also has power to provide inspection of senior pupils in
any other educational establishment maintained by them. The authority may
require pupils to undergo medical inspection in the absence of reasonable excuse.
The primary reason for medical inspection is to ensure fitness of school children
to benefit from the education provided. This is achieved by the early detection of
any defect with subsequent referral for treatment, either by the family doctor or by
the School Health Service. It also provides an opportunity for parents to discuss
with the medical officer any problems regarding behaviour or difficulty at school or
at home and for the medical officer to suggest preventive measures against predictable
illness.
The arrangements in Enfield are for medical inspection to be carried out on
school entry, at eight years of age, at ten years of age and at school leaving age.
Children in nursery classes are examined twice a year.
Medical officers also visit the Borough's two technical colleges, mainly in a
consultative capacity. At the Enfield College, seventeen students consulted the
medical officer during the year—some of them on several occasions. Of those
interviewed, six were on account of psychiatric disorder. The College has now
appointed its own consultant psychiatrist.
At Southgate College, 189 students availed themselves of the service, advice
being sought on various medical conditions, and, to a lesser extent, emotional
problems. Indeed, only two students were suffering from some emotional disorder.
The majority of enquiries came from overseas students.
During the year 358 audiometric hearing tests were carried out. Four students,
who were found to have a hearing deficiency, were referred to their family doctors
for treatment.
The Mass Radiography Unit visited both colleges in the autumn, and 356
students from the Enfield College and 352 from Southgate College availed themselves
of this opportunity for a chest X-ray. Of these numbers only five students were
recalled for further X-ray examination, the results of which showed two to be
normal; one to be suffering from cardiac enlargement; one to be suffering from
fibrosis; and one requiring occasional chest clinic supervision, which has been
arranged.
In December, 1968, the number of pupils on the register of maintained primary
and secondary schools, including nursery and special schools, was 38,793.
115