London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Harrow 1967

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]

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138
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
NUMBER OF CHILDREN ON ROLL

Table: The number of pupils attending maintained primary and secondary schools including nursery and special school, on re-opening in January 1968 was 27,412. The numbers attending each group of schools were as follows:—

The number of pupils attending maintained primary and secondary schools including nursery and special school, on re-opening in January 1968 was 27,412. The numbers attending each group of schools were as follows:—

BoysGirlsTotal
Secondary Grammar2,4092,4954,904
Secondary Modern2,8062,5515,357
Primary8,5008,24516,745
Nursery6768135
Day Special School434285
Hospital School465298
Residential Special Schools622688
13,99313,47927,412

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MEDICAL INSPECTIONS
The main function of the School Health Service is to promote the
health and welfare of the school child in order that he may derive the
maximum benefit from the education provided. The basic "instrument"
used to achieve this end is the medical inspection of children with the
purpose of:—
(i) detecting actual defects present and,
(ii) eliciting signs indicative of developing defect which could
interfere with a child's educational progress.
Section 48 of the Education Act 1944 makes it the duty of a local
education authority to provide for the medical inspection, at appropriate
intervals, of pupils in attendance at any school maintained by them, and
the authority may require the parent of any pupil, in attendance at such
a school, to submit the pupil for medical inspection in accordance with
arrangements made by the authority. Although the Act thus provides a
legal obligation on the parent to submit the child for examination, the
parent is free, should he so desire, to refuse treatment.
Under the School Health Service and Handicapped Pupils' Regulations,
1953, a local education authority is free to experiment in the ages
at which periodic medical inspection shall be carried out, although a
minimum of three general medical inspections is prescribed.