London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Brent 1970

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent]

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67
The number of children ascertained as maladjusted continues to rise and in addition to the 80 places
provided at our two Day Special Schools in the Borough there are 90 placed in residential schools. A Brent
residential school specifically for maladjusted pupils would ease the considerable difficulties experienced in
placing these children. Tylney Hall provides places only for the very mildly maladjusted.
This review I hope gives some indication of the increasing demand being met by the Education
Department and the School Health Service in the important field of handicapped children and special education
and a guide to some of our future needs.
This year I have asked the Head Teachers of the special schools in Brent to make a contribution
of this report and these are included within sections where their schools are reviewed.

Handicapped Pupils for Year Ended

19651970
Blind86
Partially-Sighted1621
Deaf1424
Partially-Hearing2134
Delicate & Diabetic3164
ESN187259
Epileptic310
Maladjusted86187
Physically Handicapped4962
Speech Defects8361,095
Multiple Handicaps4353
Grand Total1,2941,81540% increase
Total School Population35,66942,62220% increase

BLIND CHILDREN
At the end of 1970 there were six blind children, all of them boys, placed in residential schools for
the blind. There were three children at Dorton House, Sevenoaks, one at Condover Hall, Shropshire, one at
Rushdon Hall, Sussex, and one at Worcester College, Worcester.
It is interesting to note that in this group of children the numbers have fallen since 1965. It is,
however, the only group of handicapped children where this has occurred.
PARTIALLY SIGHTED CHILDREN
All these children, unlike the previous group, are placed at Day Special Schools but outside the
London Borough of Brent, and consist of 13 boys and ten girls. This number has increased by five since last
year. Nineteen of the children are at John Aird School, three at New River School, and one at a special
class in the Hogarth Primary School, Chiswick. This last child is multiply handicapped, being partially sighted
and deaf.
DEAF CHILDREN
At the end of 1970 there were 24 children ascertained as deaf, of whom 16 attended day schools at
Heston School for the Deaf, Blanche Neville School, Tottenham, Frank Barnes and Akmar Schools in the
Inner London Education Authority. Five children were placed residentially, at the Royal School for the Deaf,
Margate, Tewin Water and Mill Hall School.
Five pre-school children receive tuition from the Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf, either at home or in
Brent Day Nurseries.
The importance of early auditory training in deaf children cannot be over-emphasised, and admission
to a special nursery class for the deaf child with an associated primary unit for deaf children to which transfer
can be made at the appropriate age is an increasing need in Brent. At present our young children have to
make the daily journey to Heston.
As with both the deaf and partially hearing, regular supervision is maintained by Dr. Fisch, the
Consultant Otologist, either at Neasden Audiology Unit or at his clinics in association with the Heston School
for the Deaf, or at Blanche Neville School in the London Borough of Haringey.
PARTIALLY HEARING CHILDREN
In September 1970, two classes for primary aged partially hearing children opened in Kingsbury Green
School under the care of two teachers for the deaf. The two classrooms were specially adapted by means of
sound-proofing and the installation of special electronic equipment for teaching hearing handicapped children.
The numbers of children in the classes are small, and individual teaching is given to each child, as well
as group classroom instruction. Considerable importance is attached to the integration of the partially hearing
children into the activities of the rest of the school for games, crafts, playtime and meals. As children in
the unit progress they are transferred for some lessons into the ordinary classrooms. It is hoped that many
will be able to take their place in ordinary schools by the time they are of secondary age.