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ESTABLISHMENT
For the Committee's information the total establishment of professional
staff to be shared between the two clinics is as follows:—
2 Psychiatrists— six half-day sessions per week each.
2 Educational Pyschologists—full-time.
3 Psychiatric Social Workers—full-time.
1 Psychotherapist—full-time.
REMEDIAL CLASSES
Two of these classes exist in the Borough. The children attending
the classes are all of at least average intelligence, and often well
above this, but for one reason or another have fallen behind in their
school work. The class in Wimbledon caters for seven schools, the
Morden class for six schools from both Mitcham and Morden. Children
attend for three sessions a week. The teachers spend some Friday
afternoons in visiting the children's base schools and discussing their
progress with the class teachers. Each class has an Open Evening on
an average once a term and these have been much appreciated by the
parents, a large percentage of whom have attended to discuss their
children's progress. Initially children are selected through group
intelligence and attainment tests administered in general by Heads
or class teachers, and then seen by the Educational Psychologist for
individual assessment. As a result of the latter, the child may be
recommended for the Remedial class, individual tuition, in need of
investigation at the Child Guidance Clinic, or for supervision. Frequent
contact with both the base school and the Remedial class is
maintained by the Educational Psychologist. Thus every child is
kept under review and returned full-time to its own school as soon as
this seems advisable.
In concluding this section on Remedial classes, it should be
mentioned that both classes are only able to function so successfully
because of the help and support given by the Heads of the schools in
which they are accommodated. There is a need to extend this service
if teachers could be found. (The wider question of what special
provision can be made for children who are backward but not
' educationally subnormal' is at present under consideration.)
DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE FOR FIVE-YEAR-OLDS.
One of the needs which, the Educational Psychologist reports,
has emerged clearly over the last year is the need for a diagnostic
centre for 5-year-olds. It is often difficult to decide whether such a
young child is in fact ESN, maladjusted, merely immature, etc., and in
any case one hesitates to label children of this age. The child may
not be ready for the reception class and yet is too old to stay at the
Nursery School or at home. Where a query arises, a few months in
a small group under a teacher trained to observe such children and
with the help of experts available, would provide opportunity for
careful assessment. Where a child is minimally handicapped, careful
observation over a few months can help to establish the area affected
and how far the child can cope with a particular type of school. More
success in ultimate placement of these children would be achieved, and
the fear of failure and subsequent change under stress to another type
of education would be minimised. Consideration will be given to the
inclusion of this type of centre in the Authority's new ESN school.
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