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RESIDENTIAL OPEN AIR SCHOOLS.
(f) The Local Authority retains 15 beds at the Ogilvie School
of Recovery—for girls. The cases suitable are the chronically
delicate children found at Medical Inspection or notified by the
Teacher. Hie children are examined before admission by one of
the School Medical Staff. They are also re-inspected six months
after their return. A varying period of six months or more is
usually necessary to secure marked permanent benefit.
During the year 11 girls were admitted and 12 returned, all
considerably benefited by their stay.
The Authority has a Residential Open Air School for 80 boys
at Fyfield. This School provides all the essentials of outdoor
education, comprising fresh air, abundant food, ample rest, games,
and physical exercises in the open, and lessons in open air covered
classrooms. The children are selected by the School Medical
Staff, and examined prior to admission by the Chief Assistant
School Medical Officer. Visits are made fortnightly by the School
Medical Officer or his Chief Assistant, when all the boys are reinspected,
and a record of their height and weight noted.
A Residential Open Air School for 60 girls is in course of construction
at Fyfield.
During the year there were 130 boys admitted and 125 discharged.
The boys discharged are re-examined within three
months of their return home. All the prospective scholars have
their teeth attended to, as well as any nose and throat conditions
prior to admission.
The minimum period of stay is three months, but, as a rule,
longer periods, six to nine months or more, are necessary to obtain
permanent benefit.
The improvement is most marked, especially soon after
admission, clue no doubt to the change to a regular healthy habit
of life—good food and sufficient sleep.
Out of 113 cases sent for re-inspection following their discharge
from Fyfield, 28 did not attend owing to various reasons.
Out of the 85 examined, 59 showed continued improvement, whereas
25 had had intercurrent ailments, and their present condition
was not considered so satisfactory.
During the first twelve months following the opening of the
School parents were allowed to visit on the first Saturday afternoon
of every month for a period of two hours. It was found, however,
that seeing their parents had a somewhat unsettling effect upon a
considerable percentage of the pupils. The School Sub-Committee
therefore wisely decided to restrict the parents' visits to once in
three months. This has proved to work very satisfactorily.
The Committee has arranged with Dr. David, who was M.O.
to the former Industrial School at Fyfield, for him to be called in
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