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7
General Information.
There are thirteen elementary schools in the district with thirty-four
departments: the total accommodation is 13,044, and the greatest number
on the school registers was 12,591 towards the end of the year.
That figure is about 700 more than twelve months previously, and the
increase is due to new families coming into the district. Unfortunately, with
the normal children come the abnormal children, the mentally defective, the
physically defective, the deaf, etc., these latter needing special educational
methods and schools.
It is interesting to note that in the School Report for 1912, the number
of children on the books at the mid-year was 13,197, whilst the accommodation
was 14,325 with only eleven schools.
The population for 1912 was estimated at 65,084, whilst that for 193-3 is
probably about 84,000.
Roughly speaking, the percentage population of school children has fallen
from 20 to 15 in these 21 years.
There are two factors concerned, the diminishing birth rate and increased
longevity.
The Vital Statistics for 1933 have just been issued by the Registrar-General
as a provisional statement.
The birth-rate for England and Wales was 14.4 and the death-rate 12.3.
In the County of London, these figures approximated still nearer, namely
13.1 and 12.8 respectively.
One can almost visualise the time when our present schools will become
havens of refuge for the aged and our budding school architects will have a
twofold purpose in view.
In the meantime, the older schools in the Edmonton district are being
gradually improved.