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There are ten independent schools in the borough. An independent school is
any school at which full-time education is provided for five or more pupils of
compulsory school age (whether or not such education is also provided for pupils
under or over that age), not being a school maintained by a local education authority
or a school in respect of which grants are made by the Secretary of State to the
proprietor of the school. Medical inspection is not provided by the Borough at
such schools but they are included in the scheme for B.C.G. vaccination.
Colour Vision
The medical examination at ten years of age includes a colour vision test by
the Ishihara method. Those found by the Ishihara plates to have a defect are retested
by Giles Archer Lantern Test. In certain occupations it is essential that those
employed are able to discriminate between colours accurately and ten years of age
is an appropriate age at which to discover any colour defect likely to debar a child's
entry to such employment.
At routine medical inspection, 120 boys and seven girls were found on the
Ishihara test to have a degree of colour blindness; of the 102 boys and one girl
tested by Giles Archer Lantern, six were found to be normal, 37 were found to be
safe and 58 boys and one girl unsafe in relation to certain standards for employment.
In the case of one boy the result was considered to be unreliable owing to language
difficulties and a further test was being arranged.
Hearing
All children have their hearing tested in school by sweep pure-tone audiometer
three times during their school life, i.e. at school entry, at eight or nine years of
age and at twelve or thirteen years of age. Those children who fail the test are
referred to the school medical officer for investigation. Children requiring further
investigation and treatment are referred to the family doctor or to the ear, nose
and throat consultants.
During 1969, 11,365 children were routinely tested in school, and 411 were
found to have a hearing deficiency: of this number 143 were already known cases.
At the request of family doctors or school medical officers, 471 children had
special tests at clinics, and of the 191 found to have a hearing loss, twenty-five were
known cases. In addition, 2,249 re-tests were carried out for various reasons.
Many children had minor treatment for conditions affecting their hearing, while
of the forty-six referred to the ear. nose and throat clinics, nine were kept under
observation: ten underwent operation in hospital: a further nine underwent operation
followed by observation at the clinic: nine were treated at the clinic: seven required
no treatment: and two children did not keep appointments. The operations undertaken
included tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, myringotomy, myringoplasty, sinus
wash-outs and mastoidectomy.
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