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A new school ambulance purchased by the Education Committee was delivered at Easter
1925. This vehicle will accommodate 20 children one driver and one attendant. The total number
of children on the waiting list for the three special schools is 42 and it will be possible to admit these
children to their respective schools when the new ambulance is running.
After Care.—At present the after care of the Mentally Defective Children in Willesden is
undertaken by a Voluntary Society. The names of the children leaving the Mentally Defective
School are notified to the Society and the cases are visited periodically and a record is kept of each
case visited. The Society have an Occupation Centre for Mentally Defective Children at Pember
Hall, Pember Road, Kensal Green, N.W. 10. It is open daily from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. The
children in attendance are chiefly imbeciles and ineducable feeble-minded who are awaiting admission
to an Institution or whose parents wish to keep them at home. The children are taught rug-making,
basket-making and cane-chair-making. Children leaving the Mentally Defective School and in
whose case it is considered necessary that they should be placed under supervision or guardianship
are reported to the Middlesex County Council.
The number of children and adolescents under 21 years of age who have attended the MentallyDefective
School and who are still in the district is 95. 16 of these are known to be incapable of employment
by reason of their mental defect, 30 are in Institutions, 6 being there for further education and
24 for safety or guardianship. Of the remaining 49, 17 are employed in industrial or manual occupations,
19 in domestic work, 2 in commercial work and 11 in blind alley or other precarious occupations.
The number of physically defective children and adolescents under 21 years of age who are
still in the area is 87. 31 of these have sufficiently recovered from their defect as to be able to attend
an ordinary elementary school. 6 are attending a secondary school and 5 owing to mental defect as
well as physical defect have had to be transferred to the Mentally Defective School. 9 cases are
known to be incapable of work by reason of their physical defect and 3 are in a Cripple Home or
Institution.
Of the remaining 33, 16 are engaged in industrial or manual occupations, 8 in domestic employment
and 9 have obtained situations in commercial, professional or clerical work. None are employed
in blind alley or other precarious occupations.
CONVALESCENCE.
Convalescence for children attending the Physically Defective Schools is arranged by the
Invalid Children's Aid Association and by the Shaftesbury Society. The Stamford Hill Cripples'
Home has a branch at Thorpe Bay near Southend-on-Sea and this institution admits Willesden
children at a reduced rate.
The Education Committee have, during the year, made arrangements with the Russell-Cotes
School of Recovery, Parkstone, near Bournemouth, for the reservation of two beds at this Institution
for Willesden children. The London County Council having taken all the places on the girl's side
for the current year, only boys can be admitted from this district. This home was provided by the
donors as a country residence near the sea for poor town boys and girls who are anaemic and debilitated
and who are physically defective within the meaning of the Education Act, 1921, and it is recognised
by the Board of Education as a Special Residential School. The boys are selected both from the
physically defective and the ordinary elementary schools and the duration of the stay is six weeks,
except in special cases when an additional six weeks' stay can be arranged. All the cases which
have been to the Institution have shewn a distinct improvement on their return home.
Stammering Children.—During 1924 a special class for stammering children was conducted
by Mr. A. D. Bradfield. The children attending this class were required to pay a fee to the teacher.
On the 8th October, 1924, the following report regarding the work of the class was submitted to the
Children's Care Committee :—
(I.) No. of Children who attended the class 14
(II.) Degree of Stammering (i.) Severe 9
(ii.) Moderate 3
(iii.) Slight 2
(III.) No. of Children who took a full course or are still attending the class 5
(IV.) No. o] Children whose course was curtailed.
(1) Owing to lack of money to pay the fees 7
(2) Owing to parents not being satisfied with the progress made 2
(V.) Condition of Stammering.
(a) Before lessons.
(b) As on 7.9.24.
(i.) Children who took full course or
are still attending (5)
All severe
3 much improved.
1 much improved but
varies.
1 not so marked.
(ii.) Children whose course was curtailed
due to lack of money for
fees (7)
4 severe
1 improved.
2 varies.
1 no improvement.
2 moderate
1 much improved.
1 no improvement.
1 slight
No improvement.
(iii.) Children whose course was cuttailed
due to parent not being
satisfied with progress (2)
1 moderate
No improvement.
1 slight
No improvement.