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133
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
Area and Population
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames comprises the former
boroughs of Kingston, Maiden and Surbiton. The population of the
borough, estimated by the Registrar General was 146,470 at mid-1965.
At the 31st December 1965 the number of pupils on the
registers of maintained schools,was 17,270. Approximately 800 pupils
attended direct grant and independent schools which are served by the
school health service.
The number of maintained schools in the borough on 31st
December 1965 was 54-14 secondary, 37 primary, 1 nursery, 2 special.
One direct grant and one independent school were included in the school
health service under the terms of Section 78 of the Education Act, 1944.
Staff
The Medical Officer of Health and his Deputy are also Principal
and Deputy Principal School Medical Officer respectively, and are
assisted by two senior and four other medical officers. The services of
sessionally employed medical officers are also used to maintain the
programme of fixed appointments at clinics and as reliefs for leave and
sickness.
The health visiting staff consisting of a superintendent health
visitor and twenty health visitors, carry out the functions of school
nurses, devoting about 20% of their time to duties in connection with the
school health service.
Sessionally employed state registered nurses work with medical
officers at medical inspections in secondary schools, immunisation
sessions and general medical clinics, and are responsible for vision
testing of thirteen year old pupils.
It was not possible to maintain a full establishment of school
nurses, there were four vacancies during the greater part of the year.