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exercise that the fact that young children, already in some degree deprived, need individual
nurses with whom to form relationships was almost lost sight of. Human relationships of such
great significance to the child's emotional development are vital but impossible to evaluate
if one is expected to quantify everything in figures. The final outcome is that the nurseries
are still taking nearly the same number of children but the children get a little bit less
attention. Whether this is a reduction in the service has caused some debate.
Junior Training
Centre
The number on the register remained fairly constant at 61. The number on the waiting
list at the end of the year was 33. Number of possible attendances: 11,458; Number of actual
attendances: 9,272. Approximately three-fifths of absenteeism was due to holidays and short
term institutional placements occurring during term time. Of the other two-fifths, 70% was due
to sickness and 30% to other causes - mainly transport difficulties.
Illnesses were the usual childish ailments - chickenpox, rubella, measles and whooping
cough. Diarrhoea was a particular nuisance, as also was a run of boils and whitlows during the
autumn term. Catarrhal discharge was very much in evidence and difficult to deal with.
Three children were transferred to the Adult Training Centres and five from E.S.N.
Schools to the Junior Training Centre. These latter were children with behaviour and emotional
problems who all settled down after varying periods.
One typical case was a boy aged 12 who was constantly wet and consequently defiant,
aggressive and cheeky. He became continent, confident, developed some personal pride and
his manners have improved. We can now take him anywhere!
Another was a girl of 12½ who stammered and was in a state of constant embarrassment
and was bossy with younger children and unable to perform simple tasks without fuss and tears.
She became stable and reliable and began to volunteer for work previously beyond her apparent
abilities.
16 children accompanied by two staff and three helpers spent a happy week at Hales
House Holiday School near to Yarmouth at the beginning of October. Other projects included a
day's outing to Shoeburyness, visits to London Zoo, Bethnal Green Museum, the Science
Museum, Christmas shopping in Oxford Street, tube, train and bus journeys, nature rambles and
local shopping.
The children put on one puppet play and, a mime for our own entertainment and the student
teachers performed Snow White with a great deal of help from the children. Several film shows
and three parties in addition to "The Christmas Party" completed a very full year's activity.
During the year three students were away on teacher training courses.
Due to sickness the Centre was not fully staffed in any one week out of the 42 weeks
of term time.
162 people visited the Centre during the year; many of them were students from overseas
- teachers, health visitors and medical staff, etc.
Transport retained its position of No.1 Problem for parents, Centre staff and administration,
all became involved in trying to sort out difficulties with the transport contractor and
individual drivers.
Much time and thought was given to the project of the new school in Hoe Street intended
to rehouse the children and staff of this Centre in the New Year.
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