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It is regrettable that educationally sub-normal pupils cannot
be admitted to Carew Manor School before the age of 7 years. An increasing
number of pupils at ordinary schools arenow ascertained as educationally
sub-normal by the age of 6 years and these children have to be found places
in schools in neighbouring Authorities.
(b) North Downs Unit, Belmont.
This unit caters for 15 maladjusted children. The children remain
on the register of their ordinary school and attend the unit from varying
periods from two to four days each week.
The children recommended for admission to the unit are carefully
selected in conjunction with the child psychiatrist and the head teacher
of the unit.
The unit is situated in an unsuitable building. It is hoped
that better premises will be found during 1966 and the unit enlarged
to take up to 30 pupils.
When these are available it will be possible to admit more
maladjusted pupils to a day school where they have valuable continued
contact with their parents instead of to residential school as is at
present the case.
In addition to these two special schools there are hospital
schools in the grounds of Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, Carshalton
and Belmont Hospital, Sutton. I take this opportunity of expressing my
appreciation of the work carried out for sick children by the head teacheis and
their staffs.
(c) Queen Mary's Hospital School
When a child is admitted to hospital it is essential to
continue his or her education as soon as he or she has sufficiently
recovered from illness to do so. There is an excellent hospital school
attached to Queen Mary's Hospital. Some of the pupils can attend classrooms
but the majority have individual tuition in bed. A number of children
are only in hospital for a short time but a large percentage are in
hospital for a period of months or even years. In addition to the head
teacher there are 29 assistant teachers and the curriculum at the school
is as varied as in any other school.
The total number of children on the register at 31st December, 1965
was 168.
(d) Belmont Hospital School
At Belmont Hospital there is a diagnostic unit basically for
deaf children. The children are referred from a very wide area in the
South of England and the unit specialises in the examination of children
for deafness. Many of these children are found to be not suffering from
deafness but to be non-communicating (autistic) children. A number may
be in the unit for a few days only when the diagnosis has not proved difficult
but others remain for a period of months.
There are 12 beds in the hospital for these children, the beds
almost always being occupied, and the children suitable for education attend
classes run by a teacher of the deaf who is attached to the unit.
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