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Uncleanliness apart from infestation is not specifically recorded: its alleviation
can be assisted at a number of schools by the shower baths with which they are equipped.
Section 54 of the Education Act, 1944 is the relevant one in connection with this
subject. As it was felt by the Ministry of Education that Authorities were having some
difficulty with regard to the administration of this Section they accordingly circularised
Administrative Memorandum No.156. The Ministry again stressed that however slight may be
the degree of infestation all infested pupils should be cleansed and should be recorded in
the returns forwarded to them. When a pupil is found to be severely infested with vermin he
should, in the interests of the other pupils be immediately excluded from school. In January
1953, the Principal School Medical Officer submitted to the Special Services Sub-Committee
details of a proposed campaign against uncleanliness and the action necessary to enforce the
cleanliness of school children. This action was approved by the Committee.
The procedure adopted was as follows - in the first instance an informal notice is
issued to the parent which asks for his co-operation and contains no warning of the possibility
of cleansing under arrangements made by the Authority. This informal notice does give the
parent the opportunity of having the child treated at the Treatment Centre. The notice is
made out by the school nurse and is given to the child by the head teacher.
Should the child still be found vine lean after an arbitrary period - which may be
several days - a formal Cleansing Notice is issued under Section 54(2) of the Education Act,
1944. The parent is required to cleanse the child to the satisfaction of a school doctor
named in the Notice and, at the same time, is informed that unless this is.done by a time
specified in the Notice the cleansing of the child will be carried out under arrangements
made by the Local Education Authority. Until the child is cleansed as stated above he/she
will be excluded from school. At this stage the school nurse visits the home and, backed by
the force of the Notice, gives practical guidance to the parents on the probable sources and
the control of the infestation.
This Notice is sent to the parent by registered post. If, after expiration of the
period prescribed In the Cleansing Notice, the pupil is presented for examination at the
place specified in the Notice and is found by the school doctor to be still infested or if
the child is not presented for examination as directed, the Principal School Medical Officer
issues and signs an Order, under Section 54(3) directing that the person of the said pupil
be cleansed under arrangements made by the Local Education Authority. The Order authorises
an officer of the Local Education Authority to convey the pupil to the Treatment Centre and
there cause him/her to be cleansed. A copy of the Order is taken to the parent by hand.
This Is desirable in view of the fact that, should re-infestat ion occur after cleansing, the
parent may be the subject of legal proceedings under Section 54(6) of the Education Act, 19H.
At the same time a revised form of statistical recording was brought into operation
by means of which it is now possible to give an accurate figure of the number of individual
children found unclean.
The following figures relate to work in connection with uncleanliness during the years-
Total number of individual pupils found to be infested 1,365
Number of individual pupils in respect of whom cleansing
Notices were issued (Section 54(2) Education Act, 1944) 511
Number of individual pupils in respect of whom cleansing
Orders were issued (Section 54(3) Education Act, 1944) 120
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