[Report 1938] / School Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council.

  • Norfolk (England). County Council.
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1938] / School Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    There ^as been a pleasing increase, too, in the amount of simple kit (balls, lopes, etc.) in use in the daily physical training- lesson in most of the schools. (b) ^laying Fields for Organised Games. hhe Committee still continues to hire several fields for the use of Elementary Schools, and many others have the opportunity of using- a meadow through the generosity of local landowners, to whom great thanks are due. The new Senior Schools opened recently are provided with space for playing fields, and the Com¬ mittee have under consideration a scheme for the maintenance and im¬ provement of all such fields. (c) Clothing, Shoes and Shower Baths. The question of suitable clothing and footgear still provides a problem in the Elementary School In most cases, the clothing worn during the day has to suffice for the physical training lesson, but teachers are doing their best to encourage !l hfiht ]°°Se Wear- In many schools shorts are now worn, and despite the difficulties of lack of space for changing and storage of clothes many classes now partly change in either classroom or cloakroom, within the minimum amount of time. Where good indoor accommodation has been provided, the children are encouraged to change into special gear, and at the new school at Old Buckenham the Committee has provided the first shower-baths for Element¬ al y school children in the county. The results have been most encourag¬ ing; the majority of the senior children have used the showers regularly urmg each week and there has been a marked improvement not onlv in personal cleanliness but in clothing generally. The increase in the number of schools where children are encouraged to brmg soft shoes for the physical training lessons is very satisfactory, although much more can yet be done on these lines. The Committee continues to provide shoes in necessitous cases, and Head Teachers are uiged to take advantage of this assistance at once. Reference to the ecretary s letter of December, 1938, will show that it is necessary to give particulars of the estimated income of the parent, but as the shoes remain ie piopei y of the school and not the individual, no difficult enquiries need be made. (d) Dancing and Rhythmic Work. English Folk Dancing continues to be taught in many schools, and a pleasing number of teams entered for the Festival of the Norfolk Branch of the E.F.D.S, This festival should v'. WRarded as valuable not only from the competitive standpoint, but chiefly for the opportunity it provides of enabling teachers and children to enlarge their knowledge by seeing the varying character and styles of dancing produced by the many teams. It would be good to find even more schools entering for the coming- year, and especially more schools providing mixed teams of boys and girlst Several Infant Teachers are already giving the children valuable train¬ ing m Rhythmic Work, leading up to simple dancing, but there is need 01 great development on this side of the curriculum.