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34
The following extracts are taken from the Annual Report of
the Borough Education Officer to the Committee for Education:—
Primary Schools.
Teachers in primary schools have continued to show a keen
interest in Physical Education and the work has been steadily
progressing. A training course for teachers in infant schools was
well supported in spite of difficulties caused by the bus strike. One
Infant and three Junior Schools have been equipped with climbing
ropes during 1958. Many other schools need this equipment and
will be supplied as the necessary money becomes available.
Secondary Schools.
Many problems of accommodation and equipment have
resulted from having the unusually large numbers of children now
in secondary schools. Progress has been hampered by lack of
proper facilities—modern fully equipped gymnasia, shower baths
and changing rooms. These will shortly be provided at two
schools—the Warwick Girls' and the Sidney Chaplin—but the
majority of secondary schools will still continue to work under
unsatisfactory conditions.
There is a marked national shortage of qualified teachers of
Physical Education and the conditions in many schools in the
Borough have rendered it extremely difficult to attract staff. In
consequence some schools have found it impossible to provide an
adequate and satisfactory programme of Physical Education.
Nevertheless, some interesting experiments have been started in
boys' schools on the content of the Physical Education lesson, with
particular reference to the development of strength and stamina and
to the methods of acquiring gymnastic skills, and in girls' schools
on modern methods of Movement Training.
Games.
All schools have made good use of the playing fields and have
tried to maintain a full games programme in spite of large numbers.
Two schools—the Walthamstow High and the William Morris
Technical—have introduced lacrosse into their schemes for girls,
the first maintained schools in Essex to do so.
William Morris Boys have started to use the Ainslie Wood
ground at Chingford, sharing it with Chingford schools. This has
helped to relieve the serious overcrowding of the Salisbury Hall
grounds. The most urgent need has been for hard tennis/netball
courts at Salisbury Hall. Tennis is a most valuable game and one
which children are most likely to continue after leaving school. It is
very disappointing that so few children in the Borough have an
opportunity to learn to play. A training course in the teaching of
netball was held in 1958 and was well supported.