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School Meals and Milk
The provision of meals and milk in schools is now
firmly established. The milk supplied is pasteurised
and is given free. A charge is made for school meals.
A check on one day in September showed that of
26,676 pupils present in school 21,047 (79%) had milk
and 17,998 (67 %) had dinners. There are 45 school
kitchens and 23 departments have a container service.
The number of non-maintained schools taking milk
was 15 and 82% of the pupils participated. At one
further education establishment milk was supplied to
415 students.
Recuperative Holidays
During the year 19 children were recommended for
recuperative holidays and placed for periods of
varying length in suitable convalescent homes.
First Aid in Schools
First aid material is held at all schools and is limited
to simple dressings.
Infectious Diseases
The following numbers of cases of infectious
disease are known to have occurred among school
children during the year—
Scarlet fever 67
Measles 633
Whooping cough 13
Paratyphoid fever 1
Pneumonia 6
Food poisoning 5
Tuberculosis 3
Chicken-pox 290
Mumps 22
German measles 54
There were no cases of diphtheria or poliomyelitis.
When pulmonary tuberculosis is found in a pupil or
teacher the Chest Physician is consulted and where
considered advisable investigations of school contacts
are undertaken. School children, between their
thirteenth and fourteenth birthdays, are offered a test
for susceptibility to tuberculosis and BCG vaccination.
During the year 822 children received BCG
vaccination.
Health Education in Schools
At the request of head teachers, health visitors gave
a series of talks to senior girls on mothercraft,
personal hygiene and preparation for adult life. The
discussions which followed the talks allowed for an
interchange of ideas and enabled false impressions to
be corrected. Arrangements were made for small
groups of senior girls to attend infant welfare clinics.
Medical officers and health visitors gave talks to
several parent-teacher associations.
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