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worm, a bacteriological opinion was obtained. This is the
only way to settle the question if return, or not, to school is
desirable, and it is quite a question whether it would not be
to the advantage of the school authority to provide a free
bacteriological examination to any Medical Practitioner who
desired to make certain before sending a patient who has had
Ringworm back to school. The risk to the school of a premature
return is so great, and the difficulty of determining
when a patient is fit to go to school is also sometimes a
serious matter.
EXCLUSION OF CHILDREN UNDER 5.
Exclusion of Children under 5, from the elementary
schools has received a good deal of attention during the past
year. In the Councils' there were about 600 children under
5, and since the Board of Education has left it to the
discretion of the local authority to exclude them or not, a
great many authorities have excluded these children. In
Ilford 10 schools have excluded all children under 5 years,
of course depending on the style of school.
On the Continent the usual age for compulsory school
attendance is at 6, and in America it is about the same.
Some of the members of the Moseley Commission were struck
with the difficulty the teachers had in teaching children
of 7 years of age the elements of learning. In districts like
Ilford, where the Education Rate is going up, and likely to
continue to increase, unless some other means than at present
exist are found for lightening the local burden, the financial
element is likely to have most weight with the authority and
the ratepayers. Though here some provision later will have
to be made for these children, and there will be the loss of
attendance at school of older girls who will be kept at home
to look after their smaller brothers and sisters.
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