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(17) Blind, Deaf, Defective and Epileptic Children.
(a) The ascertainment of these exceptional children is
obtained from two sources. The School Attendance Department
have a complete list of all out of school cases and of
those already placed in Institutions.
The out of school cases have all at some time been submitted
to the certifying Medical Officer to ascertain their fitness
for ordinary school, their fitness for a special school, or their
total unfitness for school life.
The permanent out of school cases are provided with a
special card, and are visited periodically by a Nurse detailed
for the purpose. The School Medical Officer thus keeps in
touch with these cases, and is thereby notified of any change
justifying their re-examination.
Besides the above method of ascertainment an annual
census of exceptional children is made at the end of each year
throughout the schools. The method consists in circularising
all Heads of Departments to submit names of children, classified
according to defects who, in their opinion, are unfit for
the ordinary education of the Elementary Schools. These
children are then examined in January of each year by the
School Medical Staff, so that the decision may eventually rest
on medical opinion. Such children as the Doctors decide are
exceptional, figure in Table III. of the Report.
(b) A Special Nurse is employed in following up at the
homes all mentally defective children not in school.
In brief, all out of school cases, both physical and mental
defectives, which arise as a result of the four statutory
examinations for admission to Special Schools, are followed
up to see what treatment, if any, is being provided, or otherwise
to urge the parent to obtain any attention necessary.
After-care Committees have been formed in the North and
South of the Borough to interest themselves in the future
welfare of children recently discharged from the Special
Schools, including the two Deaf Centres at Water Lane and
Frederick Road.
It is customary for the Head Teachers of the Special
Schools and Deaf Centres to keep in touch with leavers to
find out whether employment has been obtained for the
children.