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In addition 625 school children attended one of the Council's chiropody
clinics - mainly for the treatment of plantar warts.
School children made a total of 484 attendances to the two bathing centres,
347 children attended for vermin and nits, 62 for scabies and 10 for
impetigo.
HEALTH SURVEYS
The school nurse makes regular health surveys at her schools. They may
be comprehensive, in which case all the children in a class are inspected, or
selective, when only a smaller number of selected children are seen. At all
surveys the nurse examines the child not only for cleanliness of the head, but
also for other aspects, e. g. squint, ear discharge, nutritional state. Where
necessary the child is referred for further investigation or treatment.
The school nurse also undertakes communicable disease surveys for particular
conditions such as plantar warts or athletes foot.
The figures for the year are set out below:-
Number examined at comprehensive surveys26,238
Percentage found verminous 1.3
Number examined at selective surveys 2,542
Percentage found verminous 4.7
Number of individual pupils found verminous 317
Number referred to a bathing centre 102
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN SCHOOLS
Pour cases of tuberculosis were reported from schools; two teachers, one
pupil and school keeper were involved. In two schools no action was necessary.
In the other two all pupils in contact with the case were Mantoux Tested and
X-Rayed as necessary. No further cases were found.
In two schools where scalp ringworm had been reported an examination of all
children by a consultant dermatologist from St. John's Hospital for Diseases of
the Skin was carried out. Several new cases were found and referred to the
family doctor for treatment.
The programme B.C. G. vaccination of susceptible 13year old schoolchildren
continued during the year.
HEALTH EDUCATION
In March a one-day conference on Health Education was held at the Shoreditch
Municipal Offices. Details of this conference will be found on page 38.
The conference was much appreciated by the teachers and several were fired with
enthusiasm for the subject. As a result two youth counsellors have been
appointed at Clapton Park and Edith Cavell schools and one or two other schools
have designated teachers to plan health education as part of the school curriculum.
SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN THE BOROUGH
Downsview E.S. N. School, an attractively designed school incorporating
modern ideas in school design and excellent for teaching the children special
skills, opened at Easter. It is a great advantage to have an educationally
sub-normal school in the borough, as it enables educational and medical staff to
have closer contact with Hackney children requiring this special education.
Another special school in the borough is Stormont House Open Air School which
provides an excellent education for 'delicate' children.
Geffrye Primary School for physically handicapped children and New River
School for partially sighted children, both now well-established, continued to
function satisfactory.