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mental defectiveness not amounting to idiocy, yet
so pronounced that they are incapable of managing
themselves or their affairs, or, in the case of
children, of being taught to do so.
(c) Feeble-minded persons; that is to say, persons
in whose case there exists from birth or from
an early age mental defectiveness not amounting
to imbecility, yet so pronounced that they require
care, supervision, or control for their own protection
or for the protection of others, or, in the
case of children, that they by reason of such defectiveness
appear to be permanently incapable
of receiving proper benefit from instruction in
ordinary schools."
Under the Elementary Education (Defective and Epileptic
Children) Acts, 1899 and 1914, a School Authority shall make
arrangements for ascertaining, and providing education for,
" (a) What children in their district, not being imbecile,
and not being merely dull or backward, are
defective, that is to say, what children by
reason of mental or physical defect are incapable
of receiving proper benefit from instruction in
the ordinary public elementary schools, but are
not incapable by reason of such defect of receiving
benefit from instruction in such special classes
or schools as are in this Act mentioned."
The Board of Education by a circular letter to Education
Authorities, by the Mental Deficiency (Notification of Children)
Regulations, 1914, and by the Revised Model Arrangements
of 31st August, 1914, gives further instructions as to the administration
of these different Acts. It is recognised, for
example, that certain low-grade feeble-minded children are
practically incapable of profiting by instruction in a special
school, "but such children should be given an adequate trial
under suitable instruction in a Special School, in order that
it may be ascertained by actual experience whether they are
in fact incapable of profiting by instruction in such a School."
In the same way, the Board are careful to safeguard
against a child being certified without adequate trial as being
"incapable of being instructed in a Special School without
detriment to the other children" or by reason of "uncleanlv
habits."
Two other points should be noted, both having a bearing on
this special investigation. In the Revised Model Arrangements,
Sec. 2, "The Head Teacher of every Public Elementary School
shall bring to the notice of the Local Education Authority any
children attending the school who appear, by reason of mental
defect, to be incapable of receiving proper benefit from the
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