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5
To the Chairman and Members of the
Walthamstow Committee for Education.
I beg to submit herewith a report on the work of the School
Health Service in the Excepted District of Walthamstow for the
year 1957 and to offer the following comments.
There were comparatively few changes in regard to staff and
adequate replacements were available. Unfortuntaely, however, the
appointment of Senior Dental Officer for Walthamstow remained
vacant throughout the year since the position has not yet been
satisfactorily resolved with the Local Education Authority.
Although some progress was made in regard to the improvement
of sanitary accommodation many of the recommendations made
by your Committee were not approved. Further reference is made
to the matter in the body of the Report and attention must be drawn
to the extract from the. Report of the Borough Education Officer to
the effect that approximately one half of all the children attending
Walthamstow schools are accommodated in premises erected before
the Walthamstow School Board went out of existence following the
Education Act, 1902.
On the credit side are the erection of the McEntee Technical
School and of the extension to the Warwick Secondary Boys' School.
Other improvements affecting school health and hygiene are listed
in the Report of your Architect.
The nutritional condition of children as assessed at medical
inspection was well maintained and even showed a slight improvement.
The incidence of verrucae (plantar warts) was halved but even so,
cases occurred at twenty-three school departments. It is fortunate
that the facilities of the Health Area Sub-Committee's Chiropody
Clinics are available to school-children.
Your Committee's views in regard to the Authority's scheme for
the supervision of the Dental Service in Walthamstow are fully set
out. Apart from the vacant appointment of Senior Dental Officer
one of the whole-time dental surgeons left at the beginning of December
and leave of absence for professional study was given to another
whole-time dental surgeon during the same month. As a result the
volume of work was substantially reduced but the Service was still
fortunate in retaining at the end of the year the services of four
whole-time dental surgeons and two part-time dental surgeons representing
a grand total of forty-six sessions per week on the part of
all staff, i.e. whole-time and part-time.