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"The school can cater for 64 delicate boys aged 10-16 years, but the present roll covering
a wide number of conditions numbers 49. The school has a rural science department, library,
gymnasium, woodwork room, pottery room and an indoor swimming pool. Classes are small
permitting a greater degree of individual attention. Remedial teaching and a programme of study
learning to C.S.E. is provided. The main aim of the school is to provide the boys with an environment
in which they can learn to cope with their disabilities, both medical and emotional, and improve
their academic standard.
There is a full range of evening and weekend activities including photography, archery, rifle
club, enamelling, woodwork, natural history, football, cricket, swimming instruction, amateur
radio, chess, model making, cookery, billiards and snooker, pioneering club and Scouts. Special
instructors come to the school for music and judo instruction.
The teaching staff take an active part in school life outside the classroom and are responsible
for general supervision of the social and domestic life assisted by four house-fathers and matron.
Medical coverage is provided by a qualified trained staff at all times, including night supervision.
Visits are made regularly, using the school bus to sporting fixtures, concerts, careers visits to
factories, etc. Special visits of three day duration were made to the International Eisteddfod in
North Wales and a successful fortnight camp for the Scouts was held at La Bailloterie in Guernsey.
Another camp is arranged for 1972 (Summer Camp) possibly on the Isle of Wight."
All these children are suffering from more than one handicap, but the primary handicap is
taken as that which is the most disabling one from the educational point of view. Great care is
taken to ensure that the correct educational setting is found initially and yearly assessments are
made as with all handicapped pupils to ensure that any variation of education to the child's
advantage that is possible is put in hand.
Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970
This Act came into being in August 1970, and placed a duty upon Local Education Authorities
to provide special educational treatment for children who suffer from three further conditions,
namely, deaf/blind, autism and early childhood psychosis, and acute dyslexia.
Deaf/Blind Children
In 1970 there were four children who were considered to be deaf/blind, two of whom also
suffered from mental subnormality. In 1971 there were three children remaining who were so
assessed. The education of these children is very specialised and it has been found to be practicable
to use the provisions set up in the London Borough of Hounslow for its deaf/blind children in the
Deaf Unit at Heston for one child. Another has been admitted to the Parkway Unit at Condover
Hall and the third child attends Moorcroft School.
Autism and Early Childhood Psychosis
The autistic child presents a syndrome of learning, behaviour, and certain developmental
disorders but the outstanding characteristic is a difficulty in understanding and reproducing speech.
It is clear that this precludes the introduction of such a child into a normal school and specialist
attention is required as an individual in a small group.
A unit for autistic children is situated in Long Lane, Hillingdon (Oak Farm School) where
six children are grouped for this specialised education. It can be given in a variety of ways and
each method has its own advocate; but whatever method is pursued, the first essential is to
establish a rapport with the child, to make some communication possible; this is the fundamental
problem of treatment and of teaching. The paucity or absence of language is a severely retarding