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54
In addition there were 5,000 visits paid where no reply was received.
Arrangements were initiated towards the end of 1956 for the Health
Visitors to meet the local General Practitioners, as previously in 1954 and
1955, with a view to increasing the degree of co-operation between the
Department and the Doctors, but as the Doctors were very busy at that
time it was decided to postpone the meeting until the spring. It was consequently
held on the 7th May, 1957, at the Public Health Offices.
Day Nurseries.
(a) The hours of opening at the three Nurseries during 1956 continued
to be 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday only.
(b) The standard charge for accommodation at the Day Nurseries,
previously 7/6 per child per day, was increased to 8/6 per child per day
as from the 2nd January, 1956. Provision is made for this charge to be
reduced according to scale when the means of the parents do not justify
the full fee.
Accommodation has continued to be made available to neighbouring
Areas for children who can more conveniently attend an Ilford Nursery
than one in their own Area.
(c) Sunshine House Nursery.—As was reported last year, in view of
the continuing low attendances at the Nurseries, approval was given by the
County Council to close this Nursery on the 18th May, 1956, the children
being transferred to the remaining two Nurseries.
(d) Ley Street Nursery.—An enquiry was received from the Ministry
of Works, from whom the nursery building was rented, as to whether the
County Council would wish to purchase the building. Before a decision
was made, the County Land Agent and Valuer enquired of the British
Transport Commission, owners of the site on which the Nursery stands,
whether that authority would be prepared to sell the site to the County
Council or, failing that, to enter into a lease to ensure security of tenure
of the site for a period of at least 3 years; this was necessary as the original
agreement for the rental of the site provided that the tenancy could be
determined by either side giving six months' notice in writing.
The British Transport Commission was not prepared to sell the site
but agreed to grant a lease from the 1st June, 1956, for a period of three
years in the first instance, and thereafter from year to year until determined
by either party giving to the other six months' notice in writing. The
building was purchased from the Ministry of Works in October 1956 at a
cost of £250.
(e) The training of Students at the Nurseries for the Certificate of the
National Nursery Examination Board continued. Six Students (three from
the Ley Street Nursery and three from the Goodmayes Lane Nursery)
entered for the examination during the year, five of whom obtained the
Certificate, including one who had failed in 1955 but re-sat the examination
in 1956.
The arrangements for young students to attend part-time courses (on
one day a week) at day continuation classes whilst awaiting enrolment
for the Nursery Nurses' Course at a Technical College in the September
following their sixteenth birthday also continued; this enables them to
pursue their studies in general subjects and so improve their general educational
standard during this pre-nursery course period. Three students (two
from the Ley Street Nursery and one from the Goodmayes Lane Nursery)
attended such a course at the St. George's Day Release Centre, Dagenham,
in 1956.