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116
HANDICAPPED PUPILS.
Under Section 34 of the Education Act, 1944, it is the duty of
the Local Education Authority to ascertain what children in their
area require special educational treatment; and the Minister of
Education has laid down, in the Handicapped Pupils Regulations,
the several categories of pupils who are considered to require such
special educational treatment. The children affected are those
considered to be Blind, Partially Sighted, Deaf, Partially Deaf,
Delicate, Diabetic, Educationally Sub-normal, Epileptic, Maladjusted,
Physically Handicapped, and Pupils suffering from
Speech Defects of a severe degree.
Delicate Pupils.
These are pupils who, by reason of impaired physical condition,
cannot without danger to their health be educated under
the normal arrangements of an ordinary school. This is the largest
group of the Handicapped Pupils, and it includes all children
recommended for Day or Residential Open Air Schools and those
who go to Convalescent Homes for periods of three months or more.
In the Day Open Air School children remain from one to six
terms, or longer. In the Residential School they remain one or
two terms, but a few stay beyond this—from three to six terms.
Boys Girls Total
No. of Delicate Pupils ascertained 27 31 58
No. admitted to Knotts Green Day Open
Air School 8 12 20
No. admitted to Residential Open Air
School 16 34 50
No. awaiting admission to Residential
Open Air Schools at 31/12/51 2 4 6
Owing to a short waiting list for admission to Residential
Schools, several children who were ascertained late in 1950 were
not placed until early 1951. This explains why the number of
children placed exceeds those ascertained.