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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 itself 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, the 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 for each child.
During the year 1971 in Harrow, the periodic medical inspections
were carried out as follows
(1) Entrants—During the first year in infant school efforts are
made to try and conduct these first school inspections during
the second and third terms to allow the child a period to settle
into the new and strange environment of school and also to
give the staff the opportunity of observing and assessing the
child before the actual inspection takes place. Observations
offered by teaching staff to the medical officer can be of
tremendous value when the actual examination is carried out,
particularly as warning signs of developing defects.
(2) Intermediates—During the first year of secondary school.
(3) Leavers—During the last year at school.
Pupils who miss a medical inspection are automatically examined at
the next routine medical inspection arranged at the school. All children who
are found to have some defect or who require observation are seen again