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This is likely to be due to poor previous schooling, disrupted home conditions and linguistic problems.
Immigrant children on average also score lower on intelligence tests than indigenous children. This
is so whatever type of intelligence test is used—individual or group, verbal, non-verbal or performance. However,
no intelligence test is culturally free, and therefore such results should always be viewed with caution.
There has been great national publicity concerning the proportion of immigrant pupils in E.S.N,
schools. In Brent about 50% of the ascertained E.S.N, pupils are immigrant. Therefore, there are approximately
twice as high a proportion in E.S.N, schools as in ordinary schools. It is interesting to note that the
I.L.E.A. has just the same proportion i.e. twice as many immigrants in E.S.N, schools as in ordinary schools.
In spite of this, it should always be remembered that only 1% of immigrant pupils in Brent are
ascertained as E.S.N.
Before a child is ascertained E.S.N., he first must be regarded as very backward by the ordinary
school, he must then be found to be grossly educationally retarded on standardized tests, and he would be
approximately in the bottom 2% of his age group on individual intelligence tests. The intelligence tests
form only one aspect of the assessment. After his ascertainment as E.S.N., he can always be transferred back
to the normal school system if sufficient progress is made.
From a follow-up of all E.S.N, school leavers in Brent over the past six years, it does not appear
that the immigrant pupils have made greater progress than the indigenous ascertained pupils.
Provision of Special Educational Facilities
There are now two Day Maladjusted Schools and two Day E.S.N. Schools in the Borough dealing
with those children requiring Special Educational Treatment. The Manor Primary E.S.N. School has two
Special Infant Diagnostic Classes instead of the former one at Vernon House. These classes are particularly
useful in the case of young children where no firm decision can as yet be made about them.
The six Remedial Reading Classes dealt with 212 children during the year, and over twice as many
boys as girls were dealt with, but this is usual.
During the year 44 children were recommended for residential placement as maladjusted pupils. This
compares with 26 in 1969 and 24 in 1968. There is great difficulty in finding suitable residential placements,
more so when the child is older or more backward. It is a very great pity that the demands of the Borough
cannot be married up with the facilities offered by Brent's Residential School, Tylney Hall. However, 130
secondary boys on one site could not offer facilities for the genuinely maladjusted.
The question of residential placement generally is also one requiring great thought. So often the
Child Guidance personnel feel that they are regarded by others merely as a means whereby a child can be sent
away to school. Parents, teachers and even Child Care Officers and Probation Officers refer children to the
Service with this in mind. Residential placements may not solve long term problems and unsuitable placement
could do harm. It does seem quite useless seeking placement for children of 14 + , because such facilities rarely
exist.
Liaison with other Agencies
The formation of the new Social Services Department should prove most valuable, and it is to be
hoped that the Child Guidance Service will work closely with the new area teams so that each may pass
cases to the other where facilities and trained personnel can deal with the referred problem.
The former arrangements whereby School Medical Officers attend a monthly case conference at the
Kilburn Centre continues, as does the regular monthly visit of Dr. Graf and Dr. Graham to the Barretts
Green Reception Centre.
Professional trainees, especially Educational Psychologists, continue to be sent to the Brent Child
Guidance Service by training departments and they all mention the varied facilities and taxing problems they
meet.
In conclusion, the Child Guidance Service is most grateful to Mr. Wyeth and the Education
Department and Dr. Grundy and the Health Department for their close co-operation.