[Report 1962] / School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough.

  • Reading (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1962
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1962] / School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/44 (page 12)
    HANDICAPPED CHILDREN These are children who because of some disability of mind or body require special methods of education either in separate or special schools, or in ordinary schools if this is possible. The classes of handicapped pupils are defined in the Handicapped Pupils and Special Schools Regulations, 1959. During the year the Handicapped Pupils and Special Schools Amending Regulations, 1962 were issued which slightly altered the definition concerning deaf pupils, changing partially deaf pupils to partially hearing pupils. The Authority has a duty to ascertain the children in their area who need special educational methods. The comprehensive register of all handicapped and potentially handicapped children from birth onwards, which has been built up in the Health Department, will greatly facilitate this work. The ten categories of children to be considered all have statutory definitions. (a) Blind Pupils, that is to say, pupils who have no sight or whose sight is or is likely to become so defective that they require education by methods not involving the use of sight. There is one child of school age on the register, a girl of 11, who has been moved from Rushton Hall School to Condover Hall School, near Shrewsbury, to continue her studies. There are two other children, both boys of pre-school age, who are also on the blind register. (b) Partially-sighted pupils, that is to say, pupils who by reason of defective vision cannot follow the normal regime of ordinary schools without detriment to their sight or to their educational development, but can be educated by special methods involving the use of sight. There are 10 children on the register, 6 boys and 4 girls. Three girls are resident at Barclay School, Sunninghill; the other girl also suffers from asthma and is resident at the West of England School for the Partially Sighted, Exeter. Four boys are at Blatchington Court, Seaford, and one is in nursery school. The other, a seven year old boy is at present attending the Delicate Department of a day special school, part- time, and receiving part-time home teaching (he is also epileptic). (c) Deaf and Partially-hearing children. Deaf pupils, that is to say, pupils who have no hearing or whose hearing is so defective that they require education by methods used for deaf pupils without naturally acquired speech or language. Partially hearing pupils, that is to say, pupils who have some naturally acquired speech and language but whose hearing is so defective that they require for their education special arrangements or facilities, though not necessarily all the educational methods used for deaf pupils. Mr. Daniel Ling, Organising Teacher of the Deaf, reports as follows:— Children in Special Schools There are now three boys, all mentioned in last year’s report, attending special schools. Two girls formerly at residential special schools, left during the school year and were trained as typists in the Berkshire School of Typing. Both were success¬ fully placed in employment. Children in special classes In September, 1962, a new special group was formed at the Cintra Secondary School. It was clear that, for several reasons, partially hearing children reaching secondary school age would need some intensive special teaching while at the same time enjoying participation in the activities of the normal school. Accordingly, five