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is not susceptible to treatment but it is important that pupils
should be aware of any colour vision defect in order to avoid
planning a career in which normal colour vision would be required.
Cleanliness inspections
School nurses carried out 30,557 cleanliness inspections
and 269 pupils were found to be infected. None of these cases
was sufficiently serious towarrantacleansing notice being issued.
Provision of Milk in Schools
Under the Education (Milk) Act 1971 the Authority's power
to supply free milk to pupils over the age of seven years was
withdrawn after the end of the Summer term, except for pupils
attending special schools or others (aged 7 to 12 years) where a
school medical officer certifies that the pupils health requires
that he should be provided with milk at school.
This legislation received Royal Assent during the school
summer holiday and took effect from 1st September 1971, with
the result that no preparation could be made to identify needy
children before commencement of the Autumn term.
At the beginning of the term arrangements were made for
the sale of milk to those pupils whose parents were willing to
pay for it and two letters were sent by the Chief Education
Officer to parents of all children in the relevant age group
explaining the effect of the Act and inviting applications for
free school milk on health grounds in appropriate cases. At the
same time all head teachers, school doctors, family doctors,
social workers, health visitors and school nurses were asked
to notify any child whose health might be adversely effected by
withdrawal of free school milk.
These enquiries resulted in approximately 1700 applications
for free school milk which had to be dealt with as a matter of
urgency and could not be allowed to hinder the normal work of the
school health service. This created considerable pressures on the
staff of the department and, in view of the need to avoid delay in
supplying free milk to needy children, sanction was obtained to
employ additional temporary medical and clerical staff and for
overtime payment to the part-time school nurses assisting with
the necessary medical inspections.
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