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Schools.
The Public Elementary Schools consist of 51 Council Schools,
and 13 Non-Provided Schools.
In addition, there are two Schools for Mentally and Physically
Defective Children, two Centres for the Deaf, one Open-Air Day
School, one Residential Open-Air School, and two Nursery
Schools, each to accommodate 120 children.
The School Medical Service is administered by the Chief
School Medical Officer (who is also the Medical Officer of Health)
with a whole-time staff of a Chief Assistant School Medical Officer,
6 Assistant Medical Officers, 5 Dental Surgeons, 28 Nurses, and
9 Clerks.
The Schools are, with several notable exceptions, fairly
modern, substantially built building's adequately supplied with
water, and provided with sufficient surrounding air space; moreover
their general cleanliness is satisfactory. Cloak-room accommodation
is very limited in some Schools, and more efficient heating
is desirable.
In connection with the foregoing paragraph it is interesting
to note that the following works have been carried out during the
year:—
Increasing and remodelling latrine accommodation
at one school.
Provision of Teachers' Room by alteration of cloakrooms
at another school, and replacement of external
iron staircase.
Additional cloak rooms at a special school, and also
at an open-air school.
Replacement of boilers, re-planing of floors, and
removal of class room galleries at several schools.
With a view to checking the spread of epidemic
disease the Medical Officer of Health, on receiving information
of the occurrence of infectious disease in the
family of a scholar, sends a red-coloured Notice to the
Head Teacher of the School attended (Day School and
Sunday School) recommending the exclusion of children coming
from the infected home. The 'Red Notice' is subsequently followed
by a 'White Notice' freeing the familv from quarantine on the
completion of the necessary isolation and the official disinfection of
the premises. Each school is provided with a supply of disinfectants
for general or special use by the Education Authority.
It was not found necessary to order the closure of any school,
or part of a school, on account of infectious disease, or for any
other reason. One school, however, was affected with constantly
recurring cases of Diphtheria (see page 107). The scholars were
inspected by an Assistant School Medical Officer, and swabs were
taken of suspicious cases. No carrier was found.
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