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102
Audiology
The joint audiology service with the London Borough of Merton
continued to expand. The partially hearing nursery unit continues
to provide for a very real need and plans are well advanced to open a
similar unit for children of primary school age at accommodation at a
school in Tolworth. Meanwhile, this unit is functioning at Surbiton
Hill Nursery School.
Dysart School
By virtue of the Education (Handicapped Children) Act 1970,
responsibility for Kingston Junior Training Centre was transferred from
the Health Committee to the Education Committee on 1st April, 1971.
The Centre was renamed Dysart School and the children in attendance
have continued to receive the whole range of health services available
to school children. Since this transfer, the school has begun to adjust
to the new educational system. Children are now admitted at 2 years
of age and there is an additional nursery class at the school.
St. Philip's School
Younger children continue to be admitted to this school at
the age for normal school entry. They gain in confidence as a result
of receiving education with their equals. If they were to attend an
ordinary school with much larger classes, they would be likely to drop
rapidly behind others in the same age group, become frustrated and
discouraged, which not infrequently causes many other problems.
Bedelsford School
The work of this school continues and there were 76 children
attending at the end of the year. Over the years the nature of the
handicapping condition for which a child is admitted has changed. This
is due in part to immunisation against poliomyelitis which has significantly
reduced the incidence of the illness, and also to improved
surgical techniques in overcoming congenital abnormalities. Nowadays,
40 per cent of the children suffer from spina bifida.
Rebuilding will enter its final phase in 1973 and will provide
much needed additional accommodation.
Health Service Reorganisation
Preparations for reorganisation are nowwell under way and
this borough is to be linked with Richmond upon Thames to form an area
health authority. The school health service will be transferred to this
new body, which will need to make arrangements to ensure the continued
co-operation between its medical officers, school nurses and the staff
at the schools.