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Children who are handicapped in one or more of these ways may require special
educational treatment if they cannot be educated satisfactorily under the normal conditions
of an ordinary school. The majority, however, do not require to attend a special school since
suitable arrangements can be made for them to receive appropriate education in ordinary schools.
Table showing full details is in the Appendix to this report.
Special Schools
There is one special school provided by the Borough Council: Carew Manor, Wallington, for
educationally sub-normal children. There is also North Downs, Belmont, a small unit for
maladjusted children, two Observation/Diagnostic Classes, two Autistic Classes and one
Class for Non-Communicating Children aged under Five Years. In addition, placements are
obtained in special schools of other Local Education Authorities and in a few cases in
specialised private schools.
(a) Carew Manor School
This special school is a day school for 140 educationally sub-normal boys and
girls aged from 7-16 years. The average number of pupils attending during 1970
was 139.
Before a child is admitted to this or any other special school for educationally
sub-normal children, a full medical examination is carried out and reports are
obtained from an educational psychologist and, if necessary, from a psychiatrist.
Every child attending the school has a physical examination annually and is
psychologically assessed every 2 years. At the request of the headteacher or the
parents, these examinations can be arranged at short notice at any time.
In addition to a regular weekly session at the school by the Senior Medical
Officer and educational psychologists, three physiotherapy sessions are held
each week and four sessions are devoted to speech therapy. The Teacher for the
Deaf also visits regularly.
Before a pupil leaves school at the age of 16 years, a full medical and psychological
investigation is carried out. A case conference is held during a pupil's last year
in the school. The headteacher, Senior Medical Officer, Youth Employment Officer
and Social Workers involved with the child all attend, and a decision is made regarding
the type of employment or training best suited to the pupil. In addition the the
pupils at the school, the conference also discusses all other handicapped pupils
in the borough leaving school in that year in order to decide what type of
employment or future training they may require. In some cases pupils may not
be accepted into employment immediately on leaving school, or may drift from
one job to another. In these circumstances a recommendation is made that the
pupil should be supervised by social workers, and recommendations are made
for the pupil to have future training in a sheltered workshop prior to taking up
open employment in the community. To assist in finding suitable employment,
the Youth Employment Officer devotes several sessions at the school to interviewing
school leavers and their parents.
It is regrettable that educationally sub-normal pupils cannot be admitted to
Carew Manor School before the age of 7 years, as an increasing number of pupils
at ordinary schools are now ascertained to be educationally sub-normal by the
age of 6 years. Many children are assessed as being educationally sub-normal
earlier since the Observation/Handicap Register came into being. These children
have to be found a place in schools in neighbouring authorities. It is hoped in the
near future that the Education Committee will make provision for these children
to receive education in an educationally sub-normal school in the borough.
(b) North Downs Unit
This Unit caters for 3 groups of maladjusted children. The children remain on
the register of their ordinary school and attend the Unit for varying periods
from 1 to 41/2 days each week.
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