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In the "Report on the Health of the School Child 1969/70"
presented by the Chief Medical Officer for the Department of
Education and Science, a chapter is included on the medical
examination and surveillance of school children, in which the
value of various methods of routine and selective medical inspections
used by different local education authorities throughout
the country are discussed The information given shows that
methods vary considerably from one authority to another, but fall
into three main categories:-
(a) Routine periodic examination of all pupils at specified
intervals throughout their school life
(b) Routineexamination of all newschool entrants followed
by selective inspection at specified intervals of those
most likely to require medical attention
(c) Routine inspection of all newschool entrants, followed
by subsequent examination of any pupil only by special
referral (e g at request of parent, teacher, school
nurse, etc ).
No conclusions are drawn, but the following extracts from
the report give comments on the most satisfactory arrangements
(i) Entrant Medical Examinations:
The lynch-pin of the arrangements for the surveillance
of pupils is still a full examination of the child around
the time of his first admission to school The time has
not yet arrived when the surveillance of children during
the pre-school years is sufficiently comprehensive and
widespread throughout the country to dispense with a
routine examination of all school entrants; even when
such a time does come, there will always be a need for
the last examination before five to be particularly related
to the major event of entry to infant school
(ii) Follow-up Visits to the Schools:
Whether the entrant medical examination is carried out
just before or just after the child has reached school,
certain children will be recognised whom the doctor will
wish to see again shortly or about whose progress he
will wish to enquire The teachers may also have children
about whom they would like to talk to the doctor
again Close surveillance of the children during their
first year at school is an important task
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