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21
where she is doing well in spite of severe deafness and speech
defects due to other causes. Two boys, totally deaf within the
meaning of the Act, aged four and two years were admitted.
A girl, aged two years, was admitted who is backward apart from
her deafness, the severity of which cannot yet be determined but
she has already improved in every way. It is very much to be
regretted that a boy, aged 15 years, although he had easily passed
the entrance examination of the Mary Hare Grammar School for
the Deaf at Burgess Hill (the first and only Grammar School for
the Deaf in the Country) was unable to go because of lack of
accommodation.
In December, 1946, there were fifteen children on the roll
ranging in age from two to fifteen years.
The hearing aid is used in school with children who benefit
from it.
(iii) Open Air School.—Mr. Williams, the Head Teacher,
reports:-
During the year the school has continued to utilise to the
utmost the limited accommodation at Hale End and in spite of an
adverse summer full advantage has been made of the Open Air
facilities.
The continued decline in the number of orthopaedic cases and
the increase in the number of asthma cases as noted last year is
still evident. Attention must be drawn to the decreasing age of
admission, the bulk of the school is now in the infant and junior
age ranges. The average age of entry during the year was 7 years,
and the length of stay of the leavers was approximately 14 months.
During the year 40 children were admitted (including 3 readmissions)
and were discharged. The average number on roll
was 63.9 and the average attendance was 59.2.
At the end of the year the classification of cases in the school
was as follows:—Orthopaedic 19, Debilitated 26, Minor Epilepsy 3,
Cardiac 4, Asthma 18.
Before closing this report I must make mention of the retirement
of Miss E. Thompson, who had been Head Teacher of this
school since its inception in 1924.
I wish also to thank all the staff, teaching, welfare, and
domestic for their valued and loyaJl co-operation in the work of
the school.
(iv) ORTHOPEDIC SCHEME
The Scheme is under the clinical charge of Mr. B. Whitchurch
Howell, F.R.C.S., Consulting Orthopaedic Surgeon.
The following table shows the work done at this clinic:-