London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bromley 1941

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bromley]

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41.
This is to be regretted since the Bromley children are
keen and enthusiastic swimmers If given the opportunity,
but safety precautions cannot "be overlooked under
present precarious conditions.
5. ADDITIONAL SOCIAL and RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The urge for developing facilities for Youth Service
in the area encouraged the experiment of opening physical
training centres in the 3urnt Ash and Aylesbury Road joint
Schools for the Spring and Sunnier terms. All types of
schools in the area were notified with the result that an
advanced Gymnastics Section was arranged for County, High,
and Private School girls, with a considerable amount of
previous gymnastic training and an Elementary section
organised for the girls who were not quite so proficient.
These sections later developed into Open Air Centres
where coaching In Tennis, Cricket, Rounders and instruction
in Swimming were successfully carried out.
Many girls from these Centres assisted on the land
during specified weekends for weeding purposes.
Acting of the advice contained in the Joint
Memorandum on Juvenile Offences Issued by the Board of
education and the Home Office, in June, the Chairman of
the Education Committee sought the co-operation of Head
Teachers and the Organisers of Physical Education with
the object of developing facilities for additional social
and recreational activities among scholars of 13-14
years of age. A plan for the organisation of "Scholars
Clubs" was subsequently approved and it is now hoped that
in the near future each senior will have completed its
arrangements under which this much neglected sphere of
social training can be encouraged and developed. The
plan, if successful, should provide a valuable link
between the schools and their Old Scholars Associations
and might well become an important factor in Youth Service
generally.
TRAINING OF TEACHERS
Existing staffing difficulties in Schools prevent the
arrangement of teachers training classes such as were
previously held during school hours. Extraneous duties
of a varied nature occupy much of the spare time of
teachers and also make the arrangement of classes out of
schools hours an impossibility.
The revival of these classes will be considered at