View report page

SCHOOL HEALTH
medical inspection — at approximately ten years of age — includes a colour vision test by the Ishihara
method. Those found by this method to have a defect are further tested by the less selective Giles
Archer Lantern Test.
One hundred and twenty-nine boys and five girls were found by the Ishihara test to have a degree of
colour blindness. Of the 153 boys and eight girls tested by the Giles Archer Lantern, seven boys and
three girls were found to be normal, 95 boys and five girls were found to be safe and 49 boys unsafe
in relation to certain standards for employment. Arrangements were made for two boys to be re-tested.
Hearing
Children are sweep tested three times during their school life and more frequently on request or
where there is known or suspected hearing loss. In addition, some pre-school children are tested
either by audiometry or free field testing. One of the audiology technicians attended the ear, nose and
throat clinic and tested children as requested by the consultant.
Children failing their hearing tests are referred for investigation to the department's medical officers
or to family doctors, and may, following this, be referred for further investigation — although many
require only minor treatment. Sixty-eight children attended the school ear, nose and throat clinic,
eighteen are still attending for observation, 38 were referred to hospital for operation or other treatment
and twelve required no treatment.
Since ear, nose and throat clinic sessions ceased at Edmonton Central Clinic, 103 children have been
referred, through the School Health Service, to Highlands Hospital. Forty-three required operative
treatment; 23 received other forms of treatment; nineteen required no treatment; eleven failed to
attend; and three left the district. Reports have not yet been received on the remaining four.
Only two commercial aids were purchased during the year, all other needs being met by the issue of
National Health Service body-worn and head-worn aids.
Enfield children attending the audiology unit in the neighbouring Borough of Haringey are supervised
by the peripatetic teacher of the deaf attached to the clinic. This teacher will also be assessing
the needs of all those children with hearing aids, in ordinary schools, who have so far been unsupervised.
An induction loop and amplifier have been fitted in an ordinary primary school for the benefit of a
partially hearing girl and similar arrangements are in hand for a girl in another primary school.
Foot inspections
Regular foot inspections by the school nurses in all schools in the borough revealed 1,751 new cases
of plantar warts from the 86,459 inspections undertaken. An informative pamphlet is available tc
parents to assist them in recognising verrucae in the early stages and containing advice on treatmenl
and on the prevention of the spread of infection. See Tables (40), (41), (42) and (43).
Inspections for cleanliness
School nurses visit primary schools each term in order to carry out inspections for the detection of
verminous head conditions and to secure the cleansing of the person and clothing of pupils, i1
necessary. See Table (44).
Medical treatment
Section 48
Education Act 1944
Free medical treatment was provided in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the
Education Act 1944.
Minor ailments
clinics
Sessions staffed by a medical officer and a nurse are held at thirteen clinic premises in the borough
during term time and parents may take their children along for advice on any condition, no appointment
being necessary. Examinations for the issue of employment and entertainment certificates are
also undertaken at these clinics. During school holidays special sessions, as and when required, are
arranged. At many of the clinic premises nurses hold additional sessions for the treatment of skin
infections and minor injuries and defects.
56