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139
Of the remainder, four have removed from Ilford, one was over
age, and thirty-four still await admission.
Attendance.—Official returns show that the School has had
an average attendance of 82.4 and an average percentage of 87.3.
Having regard to the number of necessary absences caused by the
attendance of pupils at Hospitals in London and elsewhere, this
percentage is regarded as exceptionally good, and it is no doubt
partly achieved by the conveyance of the pupils to and from School
in all weathers by motor ambulance, but partly also to the fact
that many of the children, for the first time, enter into school life
with zeal, owing to the different conditions that necessarily exist
in an open-air school, with its atmosphere of controlled freedom
and its provision of suitable activities which give to many of them
an outlet for their individual initiative under the special care
and guidance of an enthusiastic staff, both teaching and domestic.
The roll number, as shown above, stands at ninety-eight, whilst
one hundred and fifteen have, since the opening of the School, been
on the registers. Of the seventeen leavers, ten returned to their
home schools, four reached school-leaving age, two were admitted
into Hospital, and one transferred to a Residential School.
Curriculum.—Instruction is given mainly out of doors, the
classrooms being used only when necessary. The time-table has
been most carefully planned to ensure that there shall be no nervous
strain; the subjects entailing the greater mental strain are generally
taken in the morning, the afternoon being devoted to practical
work. The child's interest in its lessons is stimulated by a different
approach from that used in an ordinary school, and full advantage
is taken of the school garden. Practical Arithmetic in the grounds
often takes the place of the Abstract Mathematics of the classroom,
whilst such subjects as Geography, History (approached from the
dramatic side), English, and Singing are all adapted to open-air
methods. Thus Mensuration, Map Building, and History become
inspiring to a pupil who can walk around using a real surveyor's
tape, build a map, or even assume, for the time being, the
personality of a great historical figure.
The children, on entry, are tested by the Northumberland
Standardised Tests, which give the teachers the mental age of
children in various subjects and an immediate knowledge of the
gaps that exist in their education. The children will be tested on
leaving, and it is hoped to prove in the future that they advance
in educational age more than the actual time period spent at the
School. The individual method of teaching has made a great
difference to many children, who give evidence of its value, plus
the general treatment, in the vigour with which they grapple with
their difficulties and in their responsiveness to the instruction given.
Full individual records of each child's school career are kept
by the teacher; these entail heavy work but are of invaluable
assistance in dealing with the child, and should be of use in future
for purposes of reference.
A love of nature is inculcated by the observation of living
plants in the school garden, by the bird bath, the beehives, the
wormery, and the goldfish aquaria.
Medical Inspection and Hygiene.—The children are under the
direct care of the School Medical Officer. They are medically
examined upon admission, whilst a Doctor pays a fortnightly visit
to the School in order that progress from a health point of view