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106
Bromley. There are, however, eleven schools which
accept children under the statutory school age of five years,
but with the increasing school population and limited
school accommodation, the acceptance of these children
into elementary schools becomes yearly more difficult. If
the care and treatment of the child under five years of age
is fully utilised by parents under the maternity and child
welfare services there should be no need, as far as medical
supervision of the child is concerned, to establish •nursery
schools in Bromley.
Occupation Centre.
An Occupation Centre was opened in Bromley in 1933
under the management of a voluntary committee. This
centre accepts mentally defective children who are
incapable of receiving education in special schools. At
the end of the year there were 28 children in attendance,
and valuable work is being done under the Supervisor,
Miss H. Wade.
Health Education.
The handbook of the Board of Education is used in
all the schools, but one must doubt whether teaching
without practice is entirely of value. There are some
schools where the environment does not meet with modern
standards, where there are out-of-date desk and seating
equipment, and where the sanitary arrangements are by
no means creditable. In addition there is still the common
drinking vessel, and the roller towel in common use even
in our modern schools. One cannot teach hygiene where
practice of the teaching is not possible.
Infectious Diseases in Schools.
The returns received from head teachers during 1935
have been tabulated in the following statement, which
indicates a considerable loss of school attendance through
notifiable as well as through the minor types of
non-notifiable infectious diseases.