View report page

151
(7) Visits to Special Schools:
In addition to regular visits to Shaftesbury School and Elmers Court
School, the following visits were made in connection with the special
educational needs of individual children:
Boarding Schools 5
Day Schools 2
The following special units were also visited
Unit for Spastic Children, Watford.
Richmond Centre for Educational Therapy.
Word Blind Centre.
(8) Conferences:
In January, the Educational Psychologists attended a day conference
on children with learning handicaps, and in February a conference on
disturbed adolescents. Both psychologists attended the Inter-Clinic
Conference in March, the theme of the conference being "Deprivation".
(9) Conclusions;
The number of children referred shows an increase on the previous
year, thus further increasing the pressure on the service. Plans are now in
active preparation for the organisation of a remedial service in the borough,
and it is also hoped that an Assessment Unit for children of 5-7 years will
open in 1970. This will be the beginning of a systematic attempt to identify
young children who are showing evidence of emotional and/or learning
difficulties and to take appropriate action before such difficulties
develop into serious problems. It is hoped to extend the remedial service,
and to make more specialised provision, e.g. for maladjusted children,
available as resources allow.
HANDICAPPED PUPILS
The Local Educational 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 2
Total number of blind pupils in special schools for the
blind as at 31st December, 1969 5