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men practising in Finchley have been kind enough to inform
me when a child is about to be re-admitted to school, thus
giving me the opportunity to examine the child's hair. Dr.
Kerr (Medical Officer to the London County Council Education
Committee) has pointed out that in a majority of cases
a scurfy condition of the hair of children is due to chronic
ringworm. Acting on this suggestion, ringworm spores have
been found in many cases where it would hardly have been
suspected, the scurfy condition being the chief or only macroscopical
evidence. Ringworm can be correctly described as
one of the most troublesome evils of school life; its intractability
to treatment and the consequent exclusion of the
affected scholar for a long period of time (frequently months)
make it a formidable complaint. Many parents regard it as
a slight ailment, and fail to obtain any treatment at all.
Of the 4,000 scholars attending the Finchley Schools last year,
44 were found to be suffering from ringworm. The average
absence of these children was 127 days each, so that the loss
of grant is a serious matter.
CLOTHING.
An endeavour has been made to classify the clothing
worn by the scholars under four heads, viz.: (a) Excellent,
where the clothing is in every way satisfactory as to suitability,
warmth and cleanliness; (b) Good, where the clothing
falls a little below the first standard; (c) Fair, where it is indifferent
both from the point of view of sufficiency and cleanliness;
and (d) Poor or Bad, where it is hardly sufficient, or
in some cases, quite insufficient. These standards are obviously
quite arbitrary, and between Excellent and Good many gradations
could be made, but, on the whole, this arrangement
appears to be the most useful. This classification was not
adopted from the commencement, and, in consequence, the
different schools are not quite comparative; for instance—at
Albert Street and Squires Lane the classification of Sufficient
and Insufficient was adopted. At Albert Street School, of the