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SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
SCHOOL POPULATION
There was a very small decrease in the school population during the year. On the
31st December, 1957, there were 28,815 children on the school rolls, as compared with
29,453 on the corresponding day of 1956. The variation in the school population during
the past four years has been 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 earry out the three "routine" (or "periodic")
medical inspections as follows:- infant school entrants are 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 pupils are examined at 14 years
and, in addition, in the last year of their school life.
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 (Leavers))
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".
There was an increase of 1,121 in the number of periodic inspections and a decrease
of 3,139 in the number of special inspections and reinspections so that, on balance, the
amount of work carried out was much the same as in the previous year. The only significant
fact to report is the increase in periodic medical inspections in the second age group, i.e.,
1,183 in comparison to 752 in the previous year. This was due to the increase in the birth
rate in 1946.
Tables setting out the work relating to medical inspection will be found in Appendix IV
at the end of this report.
PERIODIC MEDICAL INSPECTIONS
Under this heading mention is made only of some new developments during this year.
Physical Condition. The medical officer's survey at the periodic medical inspections
has included an assessment of the child's physical condition. This is classified into two
grades: "Satisfactory" and "Unsatisfactory".
This new system of classification was introduced by the Ministry of Education on the
1st January, 1956, when "physical condition" was substituted for general condition, and the
classification "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory" was substituted for "good", "fair" and
poor". The present system is an improvement, as it is more objective. It is obvious that
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