The sun., 1918-07-14
WANT SCHOOLS
FOR DETECTIVES
British Women Working for
Establishment Of
Institutions. ,. .
MANY ARE NEGLECTED
Between $4,000 and 10000
Children in Need Of
Education.
Special Correspondence TO Tur suS.


LONDON, June 2e.--Dritish women have
not been content to wait for the day
when they can exercise the franchise
before dealing with the question of the
education OF mental and physical defec-
tive school children.
A special subcommittee OF the Joint
Parliamentary Advisory Council, COM
posed of women social workers and
members Of Parliament. has just issued
it's report upon the existing permissive
educational provision made for these
defective children.
= The report. while paying a high trio-
ute to the good work done voluntarily
by the London County Council and other
bodies. calls attention TO the urgent need
of making the acts of Parliament deal
ing with these children compulsory. and
not perm!ssive.
According to authorities on child life
there are to-day in the country between
$1,000 and 10000 children who are
crippled or otherwise physically defec-
tive, the greater number of whom are
being deprived OF the education that they
are entitled TO receive.
The difficulty in providing schools for
these children has been largely owing
to local financial conditions, in the case
OF a scattered district with few defec-
tive children the question of the cost or
transport has been vital one. while 10
run a special school for few children
would have increased considerably the
local education taxation. In the case
OF children residing in districts ada
cent to a special school the difficulty
has been overcome in a measure by pro-
or,1 fpey n a rA
OF the costs OF school maintenance but
these exceptions have been rare.
An attempt is to be made 10 extend
a clause Of the present education bill to
provide for opening special residential
schools for children who are unable to
obtain education otherwise.
Sir Thomas Barlow, Physician Ex-
traordinary TO the King. favors this plan.
He says:
THE suggested amendment to the
education bill, which aims at the COM
pulsory supply Of schools for physically
defective children, is based on sound
policy. Those who have carefully traced
the working OF such schools are salts
fed on two points The first is that the
physically defective children are often
found to be exceedingly quick at the
uptake.' The second IL that experience
shows that with proper provision for
fresh air, conveyance from home to
school and some other amenities the
health OF these children can not only be
conserved but generally improved"
The clerk OF the Glasgow School
Board reports
1.-THE total number OF physically de-
fective children at present on the roll OF
the boards special schools Is l,79V. The
success that has attended our effort will
be evident from the fact that last year
$40 children were passed out as ht for
the ordinary school"
There are at present In London thirty
seven schools for the physically defec-
tive, with an attendance of about $500
children. the total school population
being approximately 100000.
There are fifteen districts in ENGLAND
and Wales which possess these schools
and the approximate attendance IS
5000, leaving from $4,000 to $4,000 chill
dren for whom no special provision Is
made beyond that supplied by voluntary
effort.
The committee Is asking for compul-
sorry powers under the Government edu-
cation bill, and express themselves con-
fident that at this stage OF the war
with the present interest of the public
In child life, the amendment will re-
ceive due consideration.