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that since he was keen to try to cope with the ordinary school that the request should
be granted. The Child Guidance Clinic staff and teaching staff were hopeful that he
would be alright. By the end of his first term, however, he had broken down again and
he has been re-admitted and has settled in happily.
One boy admitted in January proved such an impossible pupil that Home Tuition was
recommended and this, coupled with continued treatment at the Child Guidance Clinic,
is proving helpful to him. This boy had had to be excluded from his ordinary school for
impossible behaviour. He is a child who might be called "brain damaged" and this type
of child poses a very special problem and one to which we do not yet know the answer.
A similar type of boy was admitted in the Autumn term for a trial period but he also
had to be excluded and admitted to a hospital for further investigation. He is to attend
a Residential School eventually.
These very aggressive non co-operative children appear to be over stimulated by
the higher emotional tensions and the freer atmosphere which exists in a school like
this and our experience after 15 months suggest that such a school is not for them.
The staff of the Child Guidance Clinic are actively concerned in the treatment
and supervision of the children in the school and are constantly in touch with the
teachers. It is essential that the staffing of the Child Guidance Clinic should be
generous having to allow for frequent attendances of children to have therapy from the
psychiatrist, help from the educational psychologist and frequent contact with the
parents from the psychiatric social workers. The School Medical Officer also should be
able to visit every 2-3 weeks in each school term or be able to attend the school at
short notice when the inevitable crisis blows up.
The School teachers do a most valuable piece of work out of school, taking children
out after school hours or at the weekend to various places of interest or entertainment
theatre, zoo museums, etc. Every home has been visited by the child's teacher and helpful
contacts made with parents often themselves hostile or emotionally disturbed and
difficult. The teachers find that in this way they are helped to see the child's
problems in a clearer light and know better how to deal with the child's difficulties.
These schools cannot be anything but costly in the use of highly trained personnels
time. A generous staffing ratio of highly trained and dedicated teachers are an
essential, indeed fundamental, necessity if the children are to benefit from attendances
at such a school.
Experience of this school has also shown that of great importance too is the
quality and temperament of the ancillary staff. The school caretaker must have infinite
patience, resource, initiative and compassion and not be one bound by his book of rules.
In this respect Lea Bridge Road School has been very fortunate and found such a man.
Equally the school secretary, the mid-day assistant and the coach attendant have to be
exceptional people to cope with these immature, disturbed and often very unhappy
children.
The work is very exacting and demanding- for all the staff in the school, but
already good results can be seen. The great majority of the parents are deeply grateful
for the help given. One father reported his boy 100% improved. This boy has completely
lost a nervous tic that irritated beyond endurance his parents and the staff of his
previous school.
Those concerned with the school feel that it has justified its foundation and are
watching with interest its progress.
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