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We have maintained a close contact with parents, for, apart from visiting the school, we have
encouraged parents to join in our trips to the zoo and pantomime and most of the parents attended our
Christmas party which helped to make it a very happy occasion for the children.
(H) Physically Handicapped Pupils
In residential schools 7
In day special schools 46
In day special classes 1
Attending ordinary schools 65
Pre-school children in day nurseries 1
Attending ordinary school but recommended for special school 2
Pre-school children recommended for special school 5
Receiving home tuition 1
Children ascertained in 1972 19
A total of 128 children are sufficiently severely physically handicapped to be entered on the
handicapped pupils register. Forty-six of them (26 boys and 20 girls) are entered at one or other of
the two special schools for physically handicapped children—St. Michael's School, Eastcote and
Martindale School, Hounslow. Seven children, all boys, are entered at residential special schools.
During the latter part of the year, it was decided that health visitors should pay a visit to the
homes of children ascertained as physically handicapped.
A total of 100 visits were made of which 43 were to the homes of those children in special
schools when seven parents raised the need for aids (mainly in connection with enuresis) and one
enquired about holiday facilities.
The remaining 57 visits were made to the homes of children in ordinary schools but only
three problems were raised by the parents; need for footwear (2) and rehousing (1).
St. Michael's School, Eastcote has changed its status from that of a residential school for all
ages to a day school for children of infant and junior age. This has resulted in a wider range of
disabilities being accepted and also a lowering of the age of admission so as to include some nursery
school children. It is hoped to begin a nursery unit in the near future to cater for the social, medical
and educational needs of the very young physically handicapped child. The medical supervision of
children at the school is undertaken by a visiting medical officer and physiotherapy and speech
therapy is included in the educational programme so that the pupils derive the maximum benefit
from both medical and educational treatment.
The children suffer from a variety of handicaps, some are multiply handicapped, the major
ones being stated in the following list:
Cerebral palsy 11
Spina Bifida 8
Congenital heart disease 3
Pseudo-hypertrophic muscular dystrophy 3
Hemiparesis 2
Post road traffic accident 2
Asthma and eczema 2
Ectopia Vesicae 1
Neuroblastoma 1
Martindale School for physically handicapped children, Hounslow had accepted 16 children
from Hillingdon. The principal disabilities are:
Cerebral palsy 10
Congenital heart disease 2
Haemophilia 1
Rheumatoid arthritis 1
Three of the boys from St. Michael's School were transferred to ordinary schools in the
Borough during 1972. Two of them were entered at secondary schools and their progress, medically
and educationally is being watched with interest. There were a number of problems to face but the
headmasters concerned welcomed the boys into their schools notwithstanding the possible
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