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Special School Provision
(a) Day Special Schools
There are two day special schools situated in the Borough - Vale Road School for Physically
Handicapped Children and Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf, which includes units for partially-hearing
children at Devonshire Hill Junior and Markfield Senior Schools. The children at these units need special
teaching because of their hearing defect, but otherwise participate fully in ordinary school life.
Of the 94 children on the roll atVale Road Special School, 59 were Haringey children and 35 children
from other Boroughs. Of the 119 children on the roll at Blanche Nevile School (including the Devonshire
Hill and Markfield units), 37 were Haringey children and 82 from other Boroughs.
Day special school facilities for children in other categories have to be sought outside the Borough.
It is a matter of particular concern that places must be sought for educationally subnormal children at
either Durants or Oak Tree Schools, Enfield, or Oak Lodge, Finchley. At present there are 48 Haringey
children at Durants, 46 at Oak Tree and 57 at Oak Lodge, and it would seem that there is a needfor
educational provision for these children within the Borough.
The other categories of handicapped pupils requiring day special schooling are placed mainly in the
following schools outside the Borough:-
Partially Sighted Joseph Clarke School, Walthamstow or
Harborough School, Islington
Delicate Hazelbury Open-Air School, Edmonton or
John Keats School, N.W.8
(b) Residential Special Schools
The one residential special school belonging to the Borough is Suntrap Residential Open-Air School,
Hayling Island, Hants. The School accepts delicate and physically handicapped children, most of whom
are cases of asthma, rheumatic heart, minor degrees of emotional disturbance, and varying degrees of
nervous and physical debility. There is a residential fully-trained nursing staff, including a night nurse.
A medical practitioner attends twice a week as a routine, and a dental officer once a week.
The school accepts boys of primary school age (i.e. 5 to 11 years) and girls of all ages. The number
of children placed at Suntrap at the end of the year was 119, of whom 11 were Haringey children and 108
children from other Boroughs.
Blind children are placed at special residential schools, mainly at Dorton House School, Sevenoaks
or Lindon Lodge School, Wimbledon.
Children in other handicapped categories who require residential schooling are placed in schools
administered by other local authorities or independent bodies (apart from epileptic children who are placed
inhospital special schools). The only category involving a large number of children is that of maladjusted
pupils.
Hospital Classes
I am indebted to the Chief Education Officer for the following report:-
"These classes for in-patients at St. Ann's and Prince of Wales's General Hospitals have continued
successfully during the past year, the average number receiving tuition being 38.
Many of the children, whose ages range from 5 to 16 years, attend the classroom provided at one of
the wards at St. Ann's, the remainder receiving lessons in bed.
The work of the teachers is assisted greatly by the ready co-operation of the hospital staff'.
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