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52
"The school provided facilities for medical examination of
children attending St. Patrick's R.C. School.
"Miss Smith, the Educational Psychologist, and Miss Hemmings,
the Speech Therapist, each made two visits to test selected
children, and Mr. Berry, Youth Employment Officer, interviewed
children leaving for employment.
"The school has been equipped throughout with new furniture
consequent upon the transfer to Pretoria Avenue premises.
"Visitors to the school included the Chairman and Deputy
Chairman of Essex Education Committee, the Deputy School
Medical Officer of Tottenham, post-graduate medical students from
Whipps Cross Hospital, a teacher from Sweden, Training College
students and Student Health Visitors.
"An analysis of children passing through the school during the
last seven years (1950'1956) shows the following :—
Left for employment 22
Returned to ordinary school (V.A. 6/18 to 6/24
with close vision at least J. 10) 18
Transferred to schools for the Blind (V.A. 4/60
or less) 15
Transferred to residential partially sighted schools 11
Left the district, usually for social conditions 8
Declared ineducable 3
Transferred to Grammar and High Schools 4
Transferred to Technical School 1
Deceased (malignant growth in nasopharynx) 1
"Of the children left for employment, ten were registered
under the Disabled Persons Act and two under the Blind Persons
Act. Employments were varied according to the visual acuity
(from 3/60 to 6/24), intelligence and personal characterisation, i.e.
factory work, 9; office work, 6; shop assistants, 3; horticulture, 2;
porter and domestic in hospital, 2.
"The eye conditions of the children returned to ordinary
school were cataract, 3; myopic astigmatism, 3; congenital
nystagmus, 2; myopia, 9 (where vision had been stabilised for at
least twelve months); albinism, 1.
"Although possessing a vested interest in the school, I would
say that this work is valuable especially for the age range 5-12
years with visual acuities 6/60 to 6/24. The factor of intelligence
is an additional consideration, a child of good intelligence and visual
acuity of 6/24 would possibly manage in an ordinary school, but