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at school to the mother's efforts at home. The general cleanliness
of teeth, nails, wrists and also ears, are points carelessly missed
by the average school boy and girl. Attention must also be paid
to the tidiness of clothing and to the proper fastening of boots
and shoes.
Where head infestation is discovered a personal visit, is made
to the parent and detailed advice regarding treatment is given
at once. The co-operation of parents over the matter of cleansing
heads unfortunately infested, has been, with few exceptions, so
good that to date it has been unnecessary to issue a notice of
compulsory cleansing (Section 54, Education Act, 1944). Difficulties
occur where the root cause of the trouble is a family one. Teenage
daughters who do not adequately brush and comb their
permanently waved hair, are the most common of all. These
offenders are usually at work and often harbour head-lice unbeknown
to mother and pass on the trouble to the school-children
Where it is discovered at a routine examination in school.
A systematic method of following up every discovered case
has been adopted and the percentage of total school-children in
the district found to be in need of treatment during 1947 was
1.17 This figure is recorded with the hope that, low as it may
appear, it will soon be much lower.
Thanks are due to the co-operation of Head Teachers and
their staffs who have so willingly given every possible help to
the two Health Assistants and thereby enabled them to carry
through a comprehensive system of inspection.
6. HANDICAPPED PUPILS. A table is presented in the
Appendix giving the numbers of handicapped pupils known to the
department —169 males and 86 females have been dealt with.
The large number of pupils classified as suffering from speech
defect (Category K) is an indication of the value of the services
of the 'Speech Therapist. On her services becoming available
the ascertainment of the children who would benefit has been
much stimulated. Generally, it is pertinent to remark upon the
present insufficient number of places, both in residential and in
day schools, for handicapped children. Many of the children
recorded as being in attendance at maintained schools are, in
fact, awaiting appropriate places in special schools.
7. The services of the Health Assistants dealing with cleanliness
matters are also showing good results. Schools are visited
at least once every school term. The number of pupils examined
shows considerable increase (see Appendix D). To begin with a
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