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115
Ilford County High Boys
Beal Grammar Girls
Fairlop Secondary Girls
Mount Secondary Girls
Gearies Secondary Girls
Becontree Secondary Girls
Becontree Secondary Boys
Fairlop Secondary Boys
For girls' schools, health visitors have been involved in
teaching personal hygiene, human relations and reproduction, and
parenteral, while an Assistant Medical Officer of Health and a
health visitor have dealt with hazards to health and child psychology.
In boys' schools, the series was undertaken by a male Assistant
sometimes accompanied by a health visitor who discussed
the birth of a baby and child care. The general experience has been
that it is not at all difficult for a trained nurse or doctor to maintain
young people's interest in the topics suggested, and in one or
two schools the number of sessions has had to be increased to deal
the large number of questions asked by the pupils. At the same time
the stock of films, flannelgraphs, film strips and other visual aids
for use in schools has been steadily built up, and some sort of visual
aid should now be available on most subjects. The schools themselves
have been most co-operative in supplying film projectors and
projectionists when required.
It is essential that this sort of health education activity should
not be interrupted. Head teachers should feel that some member of
the public health staff should be available whenever the heads feel
that they would like some particular topic presented, or that a course
of talks will be arranged without too much delay, to groups of schoolleavers,
or younger pupils. The head teachers should feel confident
that the nurses or doctors invited to the school will have modern
equipment and material available, and will be able to talk confidently
and with sympathy to the children. If no health education is done in
schools, then education in other places and with older age groups is
likely to be much less effective. Doctors doing routine medical
examinations must make a point of meeting the head teacher and discussing
his pupils' health and welfare problems with him, and thus
maintaining a friendly and informal relationship. This will make it
more probable that offers to teach in schools will be accepted.
Also at the end of January, a letter was sent to fifteen randomly
selected voluntary organisations (social centres and clubs, women's
guilds, rotary clubs, inner wheel and youth clubs) again offering
speakers on topics of public health. Here the response was rather
less encouraging. However, letters will again be sent out in the