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The addition of the unit will allow 20 places to be offered at the
school to those children in the Borough between the ages of approximately
2 to 6 years who are in need of skilled observation, assessment and basic
training before either going on to the Junior Training School or other
educational establishments.
In view of the very young age group which this Unit will be catering
for, whilst not more than 20 children will attend on any one day the actual
number on the register will be considerably higher as many of them will
only attend for part of the week.
Transition Class—This class, which was first opened in the Autumn
of 1966, provides 20 places for children who are transferred there from
the Junior Training School when they attain the age of approximately
14 years. It is held in the games room at the rear of Tanglewood Hostel,
Common Road, Stanmore, and the garden and ground offer ample scope
for games and other physical activities. Laundry, cooking, domestic,
handicraft and woodwork are also undertaken in addition to simple
3-R work.
The aim of the class is to make children as independant as possible
and to bridge the transition from school to adult training centre. Many
visits are paid to large shopping stores, post offices, fire stations and
farms as well as other places of interest. On such outings the children
travel by public transport, obtaining their own fares, thus helping them
to realise the value of money. Like the junior training school Open Days
are held regularly and parents are supplied with reports on their child's
progress each year. At the end of the year there were 16 children on the
register, including 7 from other local authorities.
From time to time, older subnormals are also placed in this class it
it is not possible to arrange their early admission to the London Borough
of Hillingdon's Adult Training Centre at Uxbridge.
Adult Training Centres—On leaving the Transition Class at
approximately 16 years of age, and as this Authority at present has no
such Centre the older subnormal patients have to travel considerable
distances to attend Centres run by other local authorities.
At these Centres, the trainees are taught light industrial work,
gardening and other activities for which a small monetary award is made.
The Centres are open all the year round from 9.0 a.m. to 5.0 p.m. Mondays
to Fridays, inclusive, with the exception of bank holidays.
At the end of the year there were 46 trainees attending the London
Borough of Hiliingdon Centre at Uxbridge and 2 were attending centres
run by the London Borough of Hounslow—one at Brentford, the other
at Acton Lodge.