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"This is partly attributable to a fairly mild winter, but also
to other causes:—
"(a) The children have been drinking more milk (i.e., every
child has one pint of milk to drink per day, with the
exception of the two-year-olds, who find two-thirds of
a pint quite sufficient).
"(b) The special diet which the children have had during the
year has cut down the consumption of starchy foods to
a minimum, and consequently the muscles of the children
have improved and there is less excessive fat. Also
there has been less nasal catarrh and fewer colds than in
former years.
"(c) Daily periods of concentrated physical activity with
special apparatus (as suggested by Miss Hawkes, Physical
Training Organiser) have done much to improve the
muscular tone and general health of the children.
"At the recent medical examination of the children Dr. Clarke
expressed the opinion that the general health of the children was
very good and that they showed definite muscular improvement.
She also commented on the few actual defects.
"The attendance in two groups was rather badly depleted in
the Christmas term owing to an outbreak of whooping cough in the
neighbourhood.
"One slight alteration in the general procedure should, perhaps,
be recorded. Owing to the difficulty of adequate supervision of
cleaning teeth with tooth brushes, this activity has been discontinued,
and the children are now being given one-eighth of an apple
to eat after every meal."
Children under 5 years of age.—The Superintendent of Attendance
Officers kindly states that in December 1938, there wore 566 children
on the registers born in the years 1934 and 1935, apart from children
at the Nursery School. Every Infants Department had such
children on its register, the maximum number being 53, the average
number per department being 31.4,
There were five Nursery classes, i.e., Gamuel Road (2), and
one each at Roger Ascham, St. Mary's R.C. and Thorpe Hall Schools.
16. SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
The Authority for the provision of Secondary Schools in
Walthamstow is the Essex County Council. The opening of the
new Technical College in September was an outstanding event in
connection with technical education.
(a) Dental Inspection and Treatment.—Reference has been
made in Section 7 (g) to the dental inspection and treatment of
pupils attending Secondary and Technical Schools.