View report page

117
School Attendance Prosecutions.
(Verminous Meads).
At the Highgate Police Court, September 24th, 1913.
Case of a boy, aged 7 (Infants), 30 attendances out of a
possible 48. Boy had been excluded by the Nurse and
Medical Officer on account of "verminous condition." Case
taken under School Attendance. Bye-laws. The mother said
she was quite willing for the child to go to school, but he was
refused admittance. The Bench were satisfied that the child
was excluded on reasonable grounds, and that the child had
not made attendance in point of fact.—Fined 5s.
On November 26th a similar case was brought before
the same Bench of Magistrates. The father appeared, and
the case was adjourned for one month. A satisfactory result
was obtained during the interim, and the prosecution was
withdrawn.
"Admission Day" for Entrants.
A suggestion appears in the recently published Annual
Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education
as to the possibility of fixing an "Admission Day" for each
school in order that every child could be passed under review
by the School Nurse before being enrolled. This has been
carried into effect at the new school at East Finchley. The
School Nurse attends at the school every Monday morning,
upon which day only are any new-comers admitted. The
Chief Attendance Officer is usually present, and at once
follows up the cases in which the Nurse finds any condition
which makes it undesirable for the child to mix with others.
I look forward to the experiment proving so successful that
the Committee will consider it possible to extend the arrangements
to the other schools. [I may add, that this experiment
has proved eminently successful, as anticipated by the late
Dr. Bywater. I am informed that when this school was
inspected by the late Medical Officer no instance was found of