View report page

142
TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the fourth Annual Report on
the School Health Service of the London Borough of Bromley.
In keeping with modern emphasis in school health towards
developments of the Audiology Service, School Psychological
Service, Child Guidance, Speech Therapy and Physical Education,
enlarged reports on these services are included in this report.
Salient points will be referred to in this prefatory letter but first
of all comment is directed to the physical and dental health of
school children.
Health of School Children
The report of the Principal School Dental Officer indicates
that a high standard of work has been maintained though for
economy reasons there has been a reduction in orthodontic work,
Good dental health is shown by the decline in extractions of
permanent teeth.
Likewise physical health of Bromley school children has been
good though there was an increase of 58 children referred for
treatment because of visual defect. There were 8 less children
found to require medical treatment following periodic medical
inspections; 2,132 out of a grand total of 12,242 pupils who
received a full medical examination. It is occasionally difficult to
obtain the required standards of illumination and distance for the
visual test in schools even though Heads of Schools try to be most
helpful and do make alternative arrangements whenever possible.
The Health Visitor saves valuable time for the Medical Officer
by carrying out these tests and as a more familiar figure to the
child fosters the confidence and co-operation of the child in carrying
out what is often a difficult examination.
An increase of skin infections included 35 cases of scabies.
These were scattered throughout the borough with no connecting
link or evidence of epidemicity and quickly responded to treatment.
The opening of three new schools in the borough increased
the work of the Health Visitors whose duties, apart from the
carrying out of vision tests, include attendance at medical examinations
to assist the Medical Officer and advise parents, to carry
out school hygiene examinations where necessary, and to promote
health education. Talks on health education subjects are now
routinely given by the Health Visitors in three senior schools. A
desire to experiment on methods of school medical examination
has been restricted by retirements and difficulties of recruitment
of Medical Officers.