| Description | In 1905 a Committee was formed, consisting of members of both the Local Government Board and the Board of Education. The Committee had two main aims: firstly, 'to ascertain and report on what is now being done and with what result in respect of Medical Inspection of Children in Public Elementary Schools', and secondly, 'to enquire into the methods employed, the sums expended, and the relief given by various voluntary agencies for the provision of meals for children at Public Elementary Schools and to report whether relief of this character could be better organised, without any charge upon public funds, both generally and with special regard to children who, though not defective, are from malnutrition below the normal standard' (see GP KN/1/3/3).
The surviving volume is a copy of the Committee's final printed report, which includes evidence of the current situation, its organisation, and special features within different areas of the country. This survey is followed by the Committee's own recommendations, and appendices listing the returns from local authorities regarding medical care and the feeding of school children. Also included is the Local Government Board 'Relief (School Children) Order' from 1905, authorising Boards of Guardians to give relief to malnourished children as and when necessary, and to re-claim the cost from neglectful parents where possible. As with GP KN/1/3/3, no specific references to either the King's Norton, Aston or Birmingham Unions are contained within the report.
This Order was issued after the Committee was formed, and as the report states: 'It is too early yet to form any clear opinion as to [its] effect.' The index lists the contents of a second volume, containing the evidence given to the committee, but unfortunately this has not survived. |