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The class-room for phthisical cases opens on three sides, the two end class-rooms for delicate
and mentally defective children respectively open on two sides, but the class-rooms adjacent to and
the drill and dining hall itself have practically only one side open to the air. The desks provided
are movable but somewhat heavy. The seats are separate.
The heating of the class-rooms is by means of low pressure hot water, with radiators at back
and special floor plates around front of rooms. This arrangement was specially designed, but has
little heating effect, as the sides of the class-rooms are always widely open, except in wet and stormy
weather. The children and teachers are supplied with blankets and flannel coats during the cold
season. The children are also supplied with felt-lined clogs.
One large resting shed separate from the class-rooms is provided. This shed has a wooden
floor raised on pillars about three feet from the ground. The back portion of the roof is boarded
and fluted with galvanised iron, and the front portion is covered with patent glazing. The shed is
too hot in Summer. The disadvantages of the single large resting shed are (a) the larger the shed,
the greater is the tendency for the air therein to be stagnant; (b) the larger the number of children
resting at once the more difficult is it to get them off to sleep; (c) the difficulty of the same shed
being used by two or more different classes at once for different forms of rest or exercise. On the
other hand, the advantage appears to be that a smaller number of the staff can look after all the
children in the school while resting.
The girls' cloak rooms are about twice the size of the boys' cloak rooms, and this seems to be
the correct proportion.
The kitchen is used for educational purposes—the teaching of cookery—but, as planned,
it is too small. So also is the scullery. Cooking is carried out by electricity.
There is no laundry where the towels, table linen, etc., can be washed and the children at
the same time receive instruction in laundry.
There is no manual centre for instructional purposes.
There are 12 spray baths for 100 children, and a dressing room.
These are mixed schools, the children ranging from 5 to 14 years.
The children are asked to pay 4d. per day for their food—cost price. This is remitted in
necessitous cases.
The children receive instruction from the cook, but a laundry and cooking mistress should
be on the staff.
The staff employed at these schools is:—one head teacher, five class teachers, one nurse, one
cook, one scullery maid and one caretaker.
From the results of the work at Kettering we are of opinion that open air teaching is equally
beneficial to the mentally defective.
4. Cambridge—Day Open Air School.—Visited 11th March, 1920. Deputation:—Councillors
W. M. Bolton, Miss Royle and Dr. Buchan.
This is a school for 30 boys and girls. It was established by the Cambridge Borough Education
Committee in July, 1916, and a head mistress is in charge. The children attend from 9.30 a.m. till
4 p.m. in the Winter and 9.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. in the Summer. They receive breakfast, dinner
and tea at the school, part of the cost of the meals being recovered.
This school is opened five days a week, not on Saturday. The average duration of stay of
a child is six to nine months.
The buildings are two temporary structures, one of wood and felt and the other of asbestos
sheeting and felt.
The land attached to this school is about half an acre in extent.
5. Nottingham—Arboretum Day Open Air School.—Visited 12th April, 1920. Deputation:—
Councillors W. M. Bolton, Mrs. Moore, Miss Royle, the Rev. H. Martin Thorpe, and Dr. Buchan.
This is a day open air school maintained by the Nottingham Education Authority. A head
mistress is in charge. It consists of five open wooden sheds with fibro-cement roofing placed in a corner
of one of the public parks of the city. There are 120 children on the roll.
The cases admitted suffer from anaemia, mal-nutrition, non-tubercular lung disease, heart
disease, oral sepsis and similar conditions. The school is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Winter
and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Summer.
The children receive three meals a day which are prepared by three workers in the kitchen.
None of the children are employed in connection with the preparation of meals.
The school itself is of a rudimentary character and no bathing is available for the children.
The average stay at the school is seven months.