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(7) Visits:
Greater efforts are being made to visit special boarding schools at
which Harrow children are placed, and to visit schools in order to ascertain
their suitability for children being recommended for residential school
placement. This is an important matter as the character of such schools
can alter very rapidly following changes of staff.
(8) Conclusions:
The School Psychological Service continues to expand, and the
majority of maintained schools make use of the service. As it proves
possible to add to the staff the service hopes to offer wider facilities, e.g.,
there is little doubt that many more adolescents would make good use of a
counselling service if this were more generally available. The Educational
Psychologists continue to provide an important link between the clinical
service and the schools in addition to working within their own sphere in
the educational system. The Director of Education and his staff give
the service their whole-hearted support and are at present considering ways
of expanding the service to meet the needs of the borough.
HANDICAPPED PUPILS
The Local Education Authority have a statutory duty under the
Education Act 1944, of ascertaining handicapped pupils in their area and
of providing for the special educational treatment of such children.
Ten categories of pupils requiring special educational treatment are
defined in School Health Service and Handicapped Pupils' Regulations.
These are as follows:—
(a) Blind Pupils, that is to say pupils who have no sight or whose sight
is, or is likely to become, so defective that they require education by
methods not involving the use of sight.
Number of blind pupils newly assessed 1
Number of blind pupils admitted to special schools during
the year 1
Total number of blind pupils in special schools for the
blind as at 31st December 1966 8
(b) Partially-Sighted Pupils, that is to say, pupils who by reason of
defective vision cannot follow the normal regime of ordinary schools
without detriment to their sight or to their educational development, but
can be educated by special methods involving the use of sight
Number of partially sighted pupils newly assessed Nil.
Number of partially-sighted pupils admitted to special
schools during the year 1
Total number of partially-sighted pupils in special
schools for partially-sighted children as at 31st
December 1966 8