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TYLNEY HALL SCHOOL
Tylney Hall School which caters for mildly maladjusted and mildly delicate boys is housed in a late
19th century mansion standing in some 100 acres of pleasant Hampshire countryside about seven miles from
Basingstoke.
The number on roll has been kept around the maximum of 130 since September 1969. The majority
of the boys come from the London area—37 from Brent, 35 from other London Boroughs whilst most of the
remainder come from the south or south-east of England. The exceptions to this pattern cause some concern
as the long distance from home makes it difficult for them to go home for week-end leaves or to receive visitors
from home. There are normally two or three visiting days a term. The usual school holidays are taken at home.
The school is organized into nine classes, four of which follow a course leading to C.S.E., the other
five are traditional though limited secondary modern type. Since the classes are small a good deal of
individual and group work is possible. Every advantage is taken of the rural surroundings and craftwork, rural
studies, gardening, etc., play an important part in the school programme. There are extensive playing fields,
tennis courts and a swimming pool.
After school activities have been slightly modified and in addition to the traditional programmes of
indoor games, scouts, etc., senior boys have been encouraged to join a local Youth Club and play football
for local teams. The Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme has started and there is an active Camping Club.
The boys sleep in small dormitories varying from three to 12 beds in size. Meals are served in the
large Dining Hall on small tables and are supervised by members of staff. Special attention is paid to the
needs of delicate children. There is a resident school nurse and the school Doctor is always available. The
boys attend local Churches according to their denomination and the Clergy visits the school regularly.
NEASDEN AUDIOLOGY UNIT
During 1970 the special services provided at Neasden Audiology Unit have been increasingly in
demand. These services include the diagnosis, follow up and supervision of children with hearing handicaps.
During the year 437 children were seen at the Audiology Unit and of these 175 were new patients
and of this group 57 were in the pre-school years.
It has been noted in the pre-school group that more of these children are being seen for delay
in speech development and are being referred by Paediatricians at Central Middlesex Hospital, Northwick
Park Hospital and Edgware General Hospital. As part of the assessment of these children their hearing must
be investigated and in this way we have been able to co-operate with the Paediatricians at these Hospitals.
Children with speech delay were often found not to have a hearing defect but to be suffering from understimulation
and to be living in a poor environment. Delay in other spheres of development was also often
evident. Where possible these children were placed in Brent Day Nurseries to enable them to experience speech
and play opportunities with other children and to have the skilled and understanding care of the Nursery
Staff.
Children of pre-school age with hearing handicaps were also admitted to Day Nurseries where
auditory training was provided by the Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf and at the end of 1970 there were
six such children in the Day Nurseries in Brent.
The major proportion of children attending the Audiology Unit are school children and have been
referred for varying degrees and types of hearing loss found at routine school audiometric screening sessions.
Many of these children suffer a conductive hearing loss in association with a catarrhal condition of the middle
ear which, with correct treatment, may often be fully corrected. Other children may have losses of a more
permanent nature. These children are seen regularly for supervision and follow up ensuring that treatment
has been instituted, or where the loss is more permanent, deterioration is not occurring and that all these
children are progressing satisfactorily at school and that their educational progress is not being hampered
by the hearing loss. The importance of a teacher understanding her pupils difficulty and for the child to sit
in a favourable position in the classroom is stressed and information is passed to the Education Department
so that the teacher may be fully informed. The Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf also may visit the School.
Children attending Special Schools for the Deaf and Partially Hearing are seen in the holidays and their
progress reviewed.
The problems of immigrant children whose language is not English presented considerable difficulties
when deafness was diagnosed. Several of the older children had previously to arrival in England, received no
formal education nor had they had the advantages of amplification of sound with a hearing aid. Consequently
the teachers of the deaf either at the Schools for Deaf or during home teaching have had very
considerable problems in teaching language and providing education. Finding school placements for these
children has proved difficult.
Referrals to the Audiology Unit come from Medical Officers in Child Health Clinics, the School
Health Service, from Paediatricians and from General Practitioners. The Unit serves Brent, Harrow and part
of Barnet. Great importance is attached to the early diagnosis of a hearing handicap and Medical Officers
are encouraged to refer cases at the earliest suspicion that the infant is not responding to sound stimuli, and
priority for appointments is given for infants and young children. The problems of a lengthy waiting list
were partly solved during 1970 by holding several screening sessions and this enabled children on the waiting
list to be seen as soon as possible and an early estimate of their difficulties made so that treatment could be
commenced. A later appointment for fuller assessment was then made.
Two sessions are held weekly at Neasden Audiologv Unit, one by Dr. Fisch, the Consultant Otologist
and the other bv the Senior Medical Officer for School Health.
During 1970 five Brent children were ascertained as deaf and four as partially hearing.