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39
in full-time employment and to such children where the admission of the
one released the mother to undertake war work. All four nurseries
have been filled with children in these categories. There has been all
the time a substantial waiting list of children with such qualifications
for admission to the Wealdstone nursery. Negotiations were entered
into with the authorities maintaining the nursery school on the Tyneholme
site with the object of agreeing to some combined arrangement,
but these fell through. In July representations were made for approval
of the erection of a war nursery on the Tyneholme site separate and
distinct from the nursery school. This proposal was agreed to. At this
time the only substantial waiting list at any of the other nurseries was
that at South Harrow. Here it seemed that the situation might be met
by extending the nursery to take in some twenty more children. Such
an arrangement too, would provide a third section at this nursery which,
from an administrative point of view is so much more convenient than
the two-section nursery. This proposal also was agreed to. Representations
had been made that there was an urgent demand in the
Edgware district and the possibility of erecting a nursery at Vancouver
Road was considered. As the demand for admission to the Buckingham
Road nursery, however, was little more than the accommodation no
further steps were taken. In the same way though there were advocates
for a nursery in North Harrow no one could produce any definite
evidence of the need. The position at the end of the year then was that
while the Kenmore Road nursery and the Buckingham Road nursery
were meeting the demand of the one child per family of the whole-time
worker, it was felt that the demand for admission to Spencer Road
nursery would be relieved by the erection of a new nursery in Headstone
Drive, while the waiting list of admission to the South Harrow nursery
would be reduced to negligible proportions by the extra accommodation
offered by the extension at that nursery.
At one period measles attacked practically all those attending the
Kenmore nursery and for a time reduced the attendances to very small
numbers. South' Harrow nursery was affected less intensely though
over a longer period, so that by the end a very large number of children
had succumbed. The average week-day attendances at the nurseries
excluding Saturdays are set out, with the available accommodation in
brackets: Spencer Road Nursery, 44 (49); South Harrow Nursery,
32.5 (40); Buckingham Road Nursery, 28 (40); and Kenmore Road
Nursery, 33 (40).
With the object of reducing some of the possible causes of absence
of children from the nurseries it was agreed that admission to them of
any children should be conditional on the parent agreeing to the child
being inoculated against diphtheria and against whooping cough.
With the general increase in the provision of these nurseries throughout
the country, it can be anticipated difficulties will be met in obtaining
the necessary staff. Already in this area the standard has had to be
lowered as it proved impossible to find teachers. It would seem, then,
that consideration might well be given to the question of limiting the
ages of the children to be cared for to the years 2 to 5. The under-twos
demand more attention from the staff so that any staff available could