View report page

13
Schools for Cripple Children, 4 Residential Sanatorium Schools for Children suffering from Pulmonary
Tuberculosis, 4 Residential Sanatorium Schools for Children suffering from Surgical Tuberculosis,
and one Residential School for Epileptic Children, and reported to the Children's Care Committee
on the 28th May, 1920.
Their recommendations were :—
(1) That a day Open-Air School to accommodate 240 physically defective children
be established.
(2) That the children in attendance at Furness Road and Leopold Road Physically
Defective Schools be transferred to the Open-Air School when ready.
(3) That steps be taken for the purchase of about 6 acres of land for the Open-Air
School.
(4) 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.
(5) That sanction be given to the capital expenditure involved, estimated at £48,000.
(6) That the provision of a Residential Open-Air School be deferred.
The Education Committee at their meeting on the 7th July, 1920, amended the first motion
as follows '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 the building be
further considered at the expiration of 6 months. The other motions were not moved.
On the 3rd November, 1920, the Education Committee resolved that 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, and in January, 1921, the District Council gave their sanction to
the purchase of the site.
Owing to post war conditions, the financial state of the country about this time was giving
cause for alarm, and the Government appointed a Special Committee under the Chairmanship of
Sir Eric Geddes to investigate and report. As a result of the report all the Government Departments
and Local Authorities were instructed to cut down their expenditure to a minimum, and during the
autumn of 1921 a letter was received from the Board of Education to the effect that all expenditure
should be restricted except where immediately necessary, and that economical improvement of
existing premises must be aimed at, in place of providing new and costly accommodation.
Thus for a second time the Authority's scheme for the provision of an Open-Air School had
to be temporarily abandoned.
Two years later it was suggested that some of the movable wards at Dollis Hill House Hospital
might be used as an Open-Air School, and the Invalid Children's Aid Association appealed to the
Council to take the matter into consideration. The Education Committee took a favourable view
of the proposal and requested the Council to consider the advisability of the suggestion. The Chief
Education Officer, the School Medical Officer and the Engineer were instructed to draw up reports.
The Council however decided that the premises should be used as a hostel for scholars visiting
the British Empire Exhibition, and as they are likely to be used for a similar purpose during the
summer of 1925, the future use of Dollis Hill House is at present uncertain.
At the present moment the position may be briefly summarised as follows :—
(1) Furness Road and Leopold Road Physically Defective Schools and particularly
the former are recognised to be unsuitable for their purpose.
(2) At Leinster Road Mentally Defective School additional accommodation is
required for manual instruction.
(3) There are 150 children suffering from pre or latent tuberculosis attending the ordinary
elementary schools as there is no other provision for their education.
(4) 298 cases of malnutrition, anaemia and debility were discovered at the routine
medical inspections during 1924. In addition 37 such cases were referred as
"specials." A certain proportion of these 335 children are physically defective
within the meaning of the Education Act, 1921, and ought to be in attendance
at an Open-Air Day School.
(5) The centralisation of the special schools would effect economies in administration,
upkeep, staff and ambulance services, so that a saving would be effected in
respect of the present expenditure on Furness Road and Leopold Road Physically
Defective Schools, and also in respect of Leinster Road Mentally Defective
School if it was decided to arrange for a mentally defective department in the
Open-Air School.
SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN.
Kilburn Grammar Boys' School and Willesden Polytechnic Girls' Trade School have been
medically inspected during the year 1924, according to the modified arrangements of the Middlesex
County Council for medical inspection in Secondary Schools, as set out in the Secretary's letter dated