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Disposal of ascertained cases:
In ordinary schools 44
Recommended day special schools 22
In residential special schools 4
Awaiting admission to Residential
Special Schools 1
Left District 2
Number of cases known to the Authority at end of year:
In ordinary schools 86
In day special schools * 156
In residential special schools * 25
* Includes 18 who are resident in the Romford Road Children's
Home and attend Day Special Schools.
Fresh admissions to special schools during the year:
In day special schools * 38
In residential schools * 7
* Includes 5 children resident in Romford Road Children's
Home and attending Day Special Schools.
EPILEPTIC CHILDREN. The definition of an epileptic child for our purpose is
one who, by reason of epilepsy, cannot be educated in an ordinary school without detriment
to the interests of himself or other pupils and requires education in a special school.
It is not every child with epilepsy who can be technically "ascertained" as an epileptic.
The definition is a functional one, relating not to the medical classification of the
disease but to the child's educational needs or to his influence on others, and these
factors are the sole criteria which determine whether a child shall be ascertained.
Children ascertained as epileptic can only be properly educated in a boarding special
school. The School Health Service, with its unrivalled opportunities, should have,
if ascertainment were thorough, an answer to the question of the incidence of epilepsy
in school children. It is generally agreed that about 1 to 2 per 1,000 children under
the age of 16 years suffer from epilepsy in some degree. The majority of these will be
found in the ordinary schools with only a few, if any, restrictions on their activities.
They should receive regular treatment from their own doctor or from a clinic or
hospital out-patient department. With regard to the remainder about 0.3 per 1,000 will
require education in boarding special schools for epileptics. A few are to be found
in day special schools for educationally subnormal children. The number of nonascertained
cases of epilepsy known to the Authority is 23. The work relating to
ascertained cases of epilepsy during the year may be summarised as follows:-
Number of ascertained cases known to the Authority 13
Number of cases in residential special schools 11
Number out of school 2
Number of fresh ascertainments during the year 3
Disposal of these cases:
Admitted to Residential Special School 1
Out of school (awaiting admission to Special school) 2
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