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147
necessary for those children whose profund deafness might once
have indicated residential placement, to benefit both linguistically
and socially from controlled contacts with normally hearing
children.
Ideally, an expansion in staff could eventually lead to more
flexible provision for partially hearing children who cannot adequately
cope in a normal Primary School, although the present
size of the premises does not make too great an increase in
numbers advisable.
With the eldest children now ten years of age, plans are
being promulgated for the inclusion of a Secondary Unit for
Deaf Children in the new Darrick Wood Comprehensive School.
The progress at present being initiated at the Primary stage can
then be continued within the Borough.
The major item of expenditure was the acquisition of a
mobile group hearing aid for use with the nursery-infant children.

In addition there are 41 other children attending Borough
schools who have hearing aids but who only receive occasional
visits.
Excluded this time from the above numbers is a large and
everchanging group of children with minor, often temporary,
hearing losses. There is no uniform system at present by which
these are brought to our notice and many only require a single
school visit from a teacher of the deaf. As the December, 1971,
official figure for this group—80—is not regarded as including
all school children in the Borough with minor hearing losses, it
seems unrealistic to include them in any statistical analysis.
However, information on them and others is retained and they
can and are visited if and when necessary.
The numbers attending residential schools should decline with
the extension of our own day provision, but boarding school
places are still provided, especially in cases where there are
family problems and at the Secondary level.
Weekly clinics with Medical Officers have continued and