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It is of the utmost Importance that children who are deaf should commence education
at the special school at as early an age as possible.
FYFIELD RESIDENTIAL 0PEN-AIR SCHOOL
During the year 99 West Ham boys and 112 West Ham girls were admitted, and 116 West
Ham boys and 113 West Ham girls were discharged. Thirty-five extra-district boys and 31
extra-district girls were admitted and 15 boys and 14 girls discharged. The West Ham
children are re-inspected a few months after they leave fyfield to ascertain if their
improvement has been maintained' Of the 211 who attended for examination, 184 showed
continued improvement, but 27 children had not maintained their condition and were given
the opportunity of having a further stay at the school. During the year the Chief Assistant
School Medical Officer made monthly visits, with the exception of August. The number of
re-inspections carried out at these visits during the year under review was 1144, being
765 boys and 679 girls.
NURSERY SCHOOLS AND CLASSES The Authority has two nursery schools - the Rebecca
Cheetham Nursery School in the north of the Borough and the Edith Kerrison Nursery School
in the south. Quarterly routine medical inspections are carried out at these schools. In
addition to the two nursery schools, there are five nursery classes held at the following
schools- New City Road, Gainsborough Road, Carpenters Road, Salway Place and Tollgate.
Every endeavour is made to carry out routine medical inspection on the same basis as at
the nursery schools. Children attend the nursery schools between the ages of 2 and 5 and
the nursery classes between the ages of 3 and 5, It is during these years that defects
commonly make their appearance, and when most can be done to prevent them® For this reason
medical inspections are carried out more frequently than at any other type of school. The
school mirse also visits more often - weekly or fortnightly, preferably weekly. The chief
defects fall into two main groups - catarrhal conditions of the upper respiratory passages
and bronchitis, and enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

CONVALESCENT TREATMENT. Children are sent away mainly through the Invalid and
Crippled Children's Society and the Invalid Children's Aid Association. They usually
require short-term treatment or a less bracing climate than that of the Fyfleld Open-Air
School.Three hundred and one children were sent to convalescent homes during the year.
The average period of stay was 6 weeks.
IMMUNISATIONo Immunisation in the schools was continued during the year as a complementary
service to the more important immunisation of preschool children. School children
who had not been immunised previously were offered the full treatment, while those' who had beer
done in Infancy or more than two years previously were offered refresher doses.The numbers
thus treated were as follows:
Completed course of Refresher doses
primary immunisation
ri ■■ inn htti iiw mimi ■ mi ■rail i h mm I i i in
1,589 4.415
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