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I am indebted to Dr. Z. Zubrzycki, school medical officer, for the following report: —
"The year 1972 will go into the chronicles of the Vale School for Physically Handicapped children as that in
which an important opening was made in the boundaries of this close and isolated community. This was brought
about by implementation of the co-operative scheme between the Vale School and the William Forster
comprehensive school. Discussion had been going on for some time and it was felt that the time was right for a
small number of physically handicapped pupils from the Vale School, aged about 14, to be integrated into the
4th year of the William Forster School. Nine pupils were selected, who seemed both physically and intellectually
able to cope with the demands of a comprehensive school and likely to benefit from the broader education and
the opportunity for social integration. A teacher from the Vale School was seconded to the William Forster
School for a half of each day and two experienced attendants (one male and one female) were attached full-time
to the Unit. Amongst the nine selected pupils there were three wheel-chair cases and two severe limb deformities.
No child was involved in the scheme without the consent of the parents.
The Unit went into operation in September, 1972. Full-time attendance was expected and transport to and
from school was provided as before. The children were treated as members of classes of the William Forster
School and were encouraged to take full part in the activities of the school. By the end of the first term it
became obvious that the scheme, which started on an experimental basis, was entirely successful and that the
Unit will continue as a permanent feature of the William Forster School.
The year 1972 had also seen great progress towards the completion of the school's therapeutic pool. 4s the
building was taking shape both the children and the members of the staff peeped curiously through the large
windows hoping that the glossy cavity of the pool would soon be filled with azurean water. In fact, the pool
was ceremoniously opened in February 1973 and became a source of enormous enjoyment for the children and
a great help in their treatment
The cerebral palsy unit associated with the school is a centre to which mothers are referred for advice and
children for treatment as soon as cerebral palsy is diagnosed. Dr. William Dunham, consultant in physical
medicine, attends weekly and a full-time cerebral palsy therapist gives treatment to the children under his
direction. A speech therapist and an educational psychologist are available to give advice and treatment in
suitable cases. Dr. Dunham reports as follows on the work of the unit during 1972:—
"The school has, during the year, cared for 92 children with handicaps of various kinds; the group with
cerebral palsy was the largest, with 29 children. The group presents special problems, and demands a special
approach.
Perhaps the most obvious handicap imposed by cerebral palsy is the inability of affected children to do things
other children do with ease and enjoyment, and the natural instinct of anyone witnessing the frustration of a
child's efforts is to "lend a hand". Yet if this means doing for the child what he cannot do for himself, it also
means that an opportunity of helping him to overcome his handicap has been wasted, for the well-meaning
action has removed the child's incentive to make the effort himself. If, instead, it means helping the child to do
for himself the things he cannot do on his own, this not only gives him a sense of achievement, but shows him
how to set about the task himself and encourages him to try again. So the first principle for anyone looking after
the child with cerebral palsy is to help him to do things rather than to do them for him.
But the problem is more complicated than this. Left to himself — and especially if given encouragement — the
child in most instances will eventually find a way of doing things. But the way in which he learns to do them is
often inefficient and unsightly. This would not matter if, having succeeded, he would then turn his attention to
improving the efficiency and appearance of his performance. But this is not what happens. In fact the child,
having succeeded, proceeds to practise his newly-found skills however unsatisfactory, rather than attempting
to improve on them, and well-intentioned encouragement is likely rather to hasten the establishment of the
faulty habits of movement than to eliminate them. Good intentions on the part of those looking after the child
are of course "a must", but an understanding of how the child's activity is likely to be affected by the operation
of those good intentions is equally important. These are some of the "special problems" mentioned above, to be
faced together by parents, teachers and medical (including therapy) staff. Their collaboration forms the
"special approach"."
Of the 9 new cases seen at the unit during 1972, 7 were Haringey children and 2 were from outside the
Borough. 3 of these children were under 5 years of age and 6 over 5. Recommendations made for the new cases
were as follows: —
Recommended for admission to the Vale Special School 6
Recommended for ordinary school 2
Recommended for residential school 1
Medical Services at the William C. Harvey School
Medical supervision for the children who attend this school for the more severely educationally sub-normal
children, is provided by a team consisting of two visiting medical officers, a full-time school nurse and a fulltime
physiotherapist. The school would benefit by the services of an occupational therapist at least part-time.
The urgent need is for more intensive speech therapy within the school. There is work for a full-time speech
therapist but the lack of accommodation would make her presence there full-time very difficult. Increased
facilities are therefore an urgent need.
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