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Those children who are excluded are re-examined at frequent
intervals, and are followed up in order to encourage the parents
to have the condition remedied and permit the child returning
to school. The number of days attendances lost by children thus
excluded declined from 35,438 in 1915, 19,815 in 1916, 17,432 in
1917, to 16,155 in 1918, but has increased to 19,462 in the year
under report, chiefly in consequence of the greater attention paid
to cases of uncleanliness. The new regulations adopted by the
Committee with regard to the exclusion of contacts with cases of
infectious disease are also responsible for some increase in the
number of attendances lost.
CLEANLINESS SURVEYS.
During the war, routine cleanliness surveys had been allowed
to lapse, but were re-instituted in the Autumn. For this purpose
the Health Visitors made 27 visits to schools and examined 1,590
children, of which 406 had warning notices sent and 133 were
excluded.
The removal from the schools of the worse cases of vermin
infestation has undoubtedly had a beneficial effect upon the general
standard of cleanliness in the schools, and although such removal
is only temporary and dirty conditions are likely to recur in some
chronic cases, these periodical surveys enable such cases to be
more effectively dealt with.
The children referred for nitty or verminous conditions gave
rise to the following action :—Warning notices, 28 ; legal notices, 316;
prosecutions. 28. The prosecutions resulted in twelve fines of 5/-,
one of 7/6 and six of 10/-, while one case was withdrawn and
eight were dismissed.
There is little doubt that were there in the district a small
Cleansing Station available for use when required, the attendances
lost in respect of verminous conditions could be greatly reduced.
Section 122 of the Children Act, 1908, empowers the Local
Education Authority to effect cleansing, if within 24 hours of the
receipt of a written notice the parent or guardian fails to do soFollowing
such cleansing, should the verminous state recur, the