View report page

SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
SCHOOL POPULATION
There was a very small decrease in the school population during the year. On the
31st December, 1956, there were 29,453 children on the school rolls, as compared with
29,487 on the corresponding day of 1955. The variation in the school population during
the past four years has been very slight.
MEDICAL INSPECTION
The medical inspection of school children was carried out in accordance with the
provisions of the School Health Service and Handicapped Pupils Regulations, 1953, in which
a minimum of three inspections is prescribed during the period of school life. In West Ham
the practice for many years has been to carry out as a routine the three general (or "periodic")
medical inspections; Infant School entrants were examined at five years of age within their
first year at school, junior pupils at 10 years of age in their last year at junior school,
and senior pupils at 14 years of age during their last year at secondary modern school. At
the Grammar and Technical schools, the 14 year old pupils are examined and thereafter at
intervals of two years: all school leavers are also examined. In addition, special
inspections or reinspections are undertaken as required.
With the approval of the Minister a local education authority can arrange for less than
three periodic examinations. The purpose of limiting periodic inspection to entrants and
leavers is to enable the medical officers to visit their schools more frequently, so that
they can give more time to individual children who appear not to be thriving or are not making
satisfactory progress in school work. Consideration is being given to this method of
examination as it appears to be a worthwhile experiment likely to increase the efficiency
of the school health service.
There was a decrease of 479 in. the number of periodic inspections and an increase of
672 in the number of special inspections and reinspections so, on balance, the amount of work
carried out was much the same as in the previous year. The fall in the number of entrants
examined (712) was due in part to a reduced intake of new entrants. The fall in the number of
juniors examined (752) was due to a decrease in the birth rate in 1946, while the increase in
the number of seniors examined (676) was due to an increase in the birth rate in 1942. There
was an increase of 309 in. additional periodic inspections.
For the Ministry of Education returns children are regarded as falling into one of the
three prescribed age groups (Entrant, Second Age Group or Third Age Group) only if inspected
at the normal time at a periodic inspection. If they miss the usual periodic inspection and
are inspected later, they are classed as "Additional Periodic Inspections". Inspections at
grammar and technical schools after the normal school leaving age are classed as "Additional
Periodic Inspections". The annual inspections at the day special schools and the first
inspections of nursery school children in any calendar year, other than in their first year,
are also classed as "Additional Periodic Inspection".
Tables setting out the work done under the heading of medical inspection and treatment
will be found in Appendix IV on pages 146-150.
91