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(b) That steps be taken for the purchase of about six acres of land for the open air
school.
(e) That, having regard to accessibility, acreage, aspect and the nature of the buildings
to be erected, Dudden Hill allotments be approved as the best site for the school
and that the necessary acreage be acquired there.
(d) That sanction be given to the capital expenditure involved, estimated at £48,000,
details of which are found in the report of the Sub-Committee.
(e) That the children in attendance at the Committee's Physically Defective Schools be
transferred to the open air school when ready.
(/) That the provision of a residential open air school be deferred.
These recommendations duly came before the Education Committee, which has taken the
following action from time to time:—
7th July, 1920.—That, subject to the approval of the Council, negotiations be commenced
for the acquisition of a site suitable for the erection of an open air school,
and that the question of building be further considered at the expiration of six
months.
3rd November, 1920. -That, subject to the matter being postponed until February,
1921, to enable the necessary expenditure to be included in the estimates for the
financial year 1921-22, sanction be given to the expenditure of the sum of £5,600,
including costs, in respect of the purchase of 7-3 acres of land in Denzil Road
for the purposes of a site for the proposed open air school ; and that the Council
be asked to raise the necessary loan.
5th January, 1921.—Letter received from Board of Education stating that schemes
involving expenditure not yet in operation are to remain in abeyance.
5th January, 1921.—Question of the building of an open air school deferred until site
acquired.
23rd March, 1921.—Estimates passed. No provision made for open air school in year
1921-22.
After-Care.—The After-Care of defective children in Willesden is carried on by a special
voluntary Committee who formerly dealt with mentally defective cases only, but in December, 1920,
agreed to supervise physically defective children referred to them by the Health Department.
Particulars of each child leaving Furness Road Physically Defective School during 1920 were forwarded
to the Secretary of the Society, together with the names of other children, who had previously
left and were known to require after-care. These cases are to be visited periodically, and the nature
of the enquiries were agreed upon by the Secretary of the After-Care Committee and the Medical
Officer of Health. Mentally defective children are notified to the committee mainly by the Head
Teacher of Leinster Road M.D. School, who, as a routine, sends in the name and particulars of each
child leaving her school. Certain other cases are reported from outside societies, parents, etc. These
cases are visited 2 or 3 times during the year, and more frequently, if the reports are unsatisfactory,
and a continuous record is kept of each child under observation. Unsatisfactory cases requiring
more than after-care are reported to the Middlesex County Council. A certain number of the mentally
defectives in Willesden referred for after-care are low grade and unemployable, and are sometimes
awaiting a vacancy in an Institution. Arrangements are in contemplation by the After-Care Committee
to open an occupation centre in Willesden, which will provide some form of physical exercise,
games or simple manual training 2 or 3 times a week for these defectives. After-care work on account
of the home influence is not always successful.
Juvenile Employment.—A Juvenile Employment Committee has been set up by the Education
Committee consisting of 21 members representing Education, Employers of Labour and Workpeople.
The Managers of the Council Schools have formed After-Care Committees composed of
Managers with others added. These After-Care Committees have formed School Committees for
each school in the group of schools for which the Managers are responsible. It is desirable that
the records of medical inspection of children concerned should be available in connection with the
nature of the work children propose to adopt as a career, but owing to the suspension of medical
inspection it has not been possible for a completely co-ordinated scheme as between the work of the
School Medical Service and the Juvenile Employment Committee to become operative. It is equally
unfortunate that owing to the multiplicity of authorities engaged on health work the Certifying
Factory Surgeon has got to do again, on admission to the factory, what has or should have been
done at the time of leaving school by the School Medical Officer. During the year a new duty was
cast on the School Medical Officer of reporting on the fitness of children and young persons engaged
in entertainment under the Employment of Children in Entertainments Rules, 1920, dated January
12th, 1920, made by the Board of Education under Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Act, 1904, as amended by Section 13 (2) of the Education Act, 1918. These Rules became operative
on the 1st day of April, 1920, and provide, inter alia, that every application for a licence must be
accompanied by a certificate from the School Medical Officer of the Local Education Authority that
the child may be employed in the manner proposed without prejudice to his or her health or physical
development and that the employment will not render the child unfit to obtain proper benefit from
his or her education. 19 applications for licences and 3 for renewals were received up to 31st December,
1920, making a total of 22, of which 19 were granted.
Examination of Teachers.—33 teachers were examined during the year by the School
Medical Service, and all were found fit to perform the duties of a teacher.