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LEYTON SPECIAL E.S.N. SCHOOL
There were no special difficulties in the schools this year in contrast to 1964
when two very disturbed adolescent boys had to be excluded from attendance at the school
and found places elsewhere.
Three boys, one of 11 years, one of 12 years and one of 14 years, were able to
return to normal school and have made reasonable progress and settled down well.
Two girls and eight boys were de-ascertained between the ages of 15 and 16 years
as no longer requiring special educational treatment. All had achieved what appeared
to be their limit in educational attainment, were socially mature and capable of earning
their living. All had found suitable work for themselves and it was considered that
the advantages of staying at school for a few months would be outweighed by the acute
disappointment experienced in failing to take up work which, not only seemed suitable
to them, but which was considered by the Juvenile Employment Officer also to be good
placements for them. It has been found advantageous to allow these boys and girls of
15% to 16 years of age to take up a post before the bulk of the school leavers flood
the market as they do now at the end of the Spring term and in July of each year.
The jobs found by these school leavers are very varied and last year the list was
extremely interesting. One boy got into British Railways, two in the Parks Department,
two in horticulture, two in farms, one into a cycle works, one into a leather works,
one into Woolworths, one a butcher's assistant, one in a laundry, one in paper making
and one into tailoring.
These school leavers frequently come back on their half days or when on holiday
and report to the school staff how they are getting on. It is very re-assuring that
they should feel that they can come back to the school. One boy who came to Harrow
Green when he was 12 years old, not only being backward in school work but with a
serious hearing defect for which he had to wear a hearing aid, had been difficult
during all his school life. He had a disturbed home background and he had what appeared
to be a permanent grudge against the world. He found himself a job on a farm looking
after cows and we let him leave when he was about 15%. He has made a great success of
this work, he is very happy, has lost his grudge against the world and it is quite
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