178 KEPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



children. To that end they have circulated the following questionnaire 

 among School Medical Officers in whose districts Special schools for 

 this class of children were provided: — 



1. By what process are the children chosen for examination Ly you ? 



2. What methods and tests have you employed for determining whether those 



children should be accepted in the schools for children of defective 

 mental power? 



3. Do you use any specially designed tests, e.g., Binet's, Weygandt's, de 



Sanctis', &c. ? 



4. Which of the. various methods you have used do you prefer, and why ? 

 (It would help the Committee greatly if you would comment freely upon 



the various tests you have used.) 



5. Have you evolved any special tests for routine or for exceptional cases ? 



6. How do you test the progress of the children when they are in the schools? 



(A copy of the form of record would be a help.) 



7. Is there any ' psychological ' classification of the children in the .Special 



schools ? 



8. Do you take into consideration such factors as age, irregularity of attend- 



ance at school, frequent change of schools, physical defect, &c. ? 



9. What method do you adopt to determine whether (a) a boy, (b) a girl, may 



leave the Special school before the statutory limit of sixteen years ? 



10. Do you make any provision for sane ' epileptics ' ? Have you any after- 



care committee to continue supervision after school age? 



A second set of questions were addressed to the headmistresses of 

 Special schools, as under: — 



1. Number of children in the school aged 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 7. 



2. Number (of those now in the school) admitted at 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 



10, 9, 8, and 7. 



3. Into how many classes are they divided ? 



4. What is the basis of classification and how is promotion determined? (A 



copy of your record form would be helpful.) 



5. Have any children ever gone back from your school to the ordinary school ? 



If so, how many ? 



6. Do you make any psychological classification of the various forms of mental 



defect and base your treatment upon it? If so, will you kindly describe 

 it. 



7. What proportion of the children reach the normal proficiency of a 



Standard II. child in respect of the three K's? 



8. How much time is given to manual work? What is the nature of it? Is 



it brought into relation with the ordinary work of the class-room, or 

 is it outside your control ? 



The Committee have received answers to these questions from the 

 following Education Authorities : London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bir- 

 mingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester, Blackburn, 

 Colchester, Smethwick, Eastbourne, Brighton, Middlesbrough, Wolver- 

 hampton, Coventry, Willesden, Southend. The information they have 

 collected may therefore be regarded as fairly representative of the 

 country as a whole. 



The summarised replies to the questions are given in Appendices I. 

 and II. to this Beport. The several Education Authorities are indicated 

 by capital letters in the first column. 



