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Part III
HANDICAPPED PUPILS
The total number of children at present on the Handicapped Pupils' Register of the London
Borough of Hillingdon is 1,095. This represents an increase of 15 or 1.3% compared with 1969
when 1,080 children were so registered. Of this number (1,095), 364 are in day special schools,
2 in special day classes, 96 in residential special schools and 2 receive home tuition. 552 children
on the Register are attending normal schools with some variation of their education to allow
them to receive treatment, medical or paramedical, e.g. attendance at clinics or hospitals, speech
therapy at clinic or at school, and physiotherapy. 9 children at present attending normal schools
are awaiting placement at a special school (2 of these are being educated privately); 6 children
are on trial at normal schools.
The children who are able to attend normal schools are only handicapped to a minor degree
but sufficiently so as to need some special attention at intervals to secure their improvement and
so that the teachers may be aware of their special problems. This applies to certain categories,
for example, the epileptic child under treatment who may need attention occasionally; the diabetic
child who sometimes has a hypoglycaemic attack; the partially sighted child whose defect is not
serious and who can cope if placed in the correct position in the classroom with good lighting
facilities; the speech defective child who needs help in the class situation and therapy at regular
intervals; the partially hearing child with a hearing aid who requires teacher's special attention
and the mildly maladjusted pupil who can be very demanding. The headteachers and teaching
staff together with their welfare assistants are deserving of high praise for their patience and
resourcefulness and for the cheerful encouragement that they afford these children whom they
have welcomed into their schools. A normal environment is usually the best for many minimally
handicapped children for healthy competition can be experienced and will help the child to adapt
itself to the real world.
Among these 1,095 children, there are 5 pre-school children in day nurseries placed there
to assist their social and medical development. They are in the care of experienced nursing staff
and are re-assessed at intervals by the medical staff and members of the school psychological
service who advise on future placement. A further 14 pre-school children have been recommended
for special schools and 25 more have been assessed and recommended for trial at a normal school.