View report page

86
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 1972 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 (re-inspections) as necessary, either at the school or by special
appointment at the school clinic. In addition to the routine school
inspections, arrangements are made to carry out special inspections of
pupils, usually at the request of a parent, doctor, health visitor, teacher
or other person. For the number of children inspected and their physical
condition see Table I.
MEDICAL TREATMENT
Children with defects are referred to their family doctor, to hospital
for special opinion or treatment, or to the school clinic for treatment for
minor ailments and other special defects. These clinics, in addition to
being used as treatment centres are available for consultation purposes.
Here children are seen at the request of the parents or of the teachers or
for a more detailed examination of a particular child previously seen at a
periodical medical inspection in school.
Vision Testing and Treatment
It is of primary importance that all school children should have an as
accurate as possible result in the recording of their vision. Both rotating'E'
Cards and the Sheridan-Gardiner Cards are used.
Vision is tested at the three periodic school medical inspections and
additional sweep tests are carried out by the health visitor/clinic nurse
using a Keystone Telebinocular Vision Screener. This machine indicates
near point and distance seeing ability easily and rapidly. All pupils failing
a vision test are referred to Dr. Banerji, the Borough's Ophthalmologist
and doubtful results are followed up by repeat examinations either in
school or at the school clinic.