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33
Advantages gained by holding extra classes at "Suntrap,"
Epping Forest: —
(a) It enables the school to admit more pupils, thus reducing
the waiting list.
(b) It was envisaged that equivalent numbers would benefit
sufficiently to return to their normal school for the winter
months. This objective was fully realised and the ordinary
benefits of the Special School were accelerated by the
more complete open air life.
(c) The buildings are by no means ideal for an open air school.
The opening of "Suntrap" made up for these deficiencies
and were suited to a certain category of child, e.g., those
with respiratory conditions.
(d) It is medically (and possibly administratively) beneficial
to have a homogenous group of this kind. The children
can then all take part in the same activities under ideal
conditions, i.e., activities not determined by a "mixed
bag " of physical conditions, e.g., heart cases and cripples.
(e) There is no definite objective evidence of benefits obtained,
i.e., progress in height and weight, but on clinical evidence
the benefits were decisive.
Mr. G. M. Williams, the Head Master, reports as follows
In a school of this type the year's activities are greatly dependent
upon and influenced by weather conditions. The year's
inclement weather greatly emphasised the inadequacy of the school
buildings and general amenities of the site. In spite of this the
attendance for the year was maintained at 82.1 per cent., but the
general level of health was not as good as former years, as shown
by the increase of broken attendances. To offset this an experimental
Open-Air Group was held at High Beach, Loughton, during
the summer term.
The school continued the practice of former years in opening
during part of the summer holidays, a voluntary attendance of
93 per cent. being maintained in the period.
Educational visits were made to the South Kensington Museum,
the London Zoo, and a special Christmas visit to the Bertram Mills
Circus at Olympia. By courtesy of the Mayor of Walthamstow,
a full day's outing to Ashbridge Common (National Trust Property),
Berkshire, was organised.