§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether she will issue a circular requesting heads of schools to report upon the number and percentage of children in their schools who suffer from deformities of the feet;
(2) what percentage of children of school age suffer from deformities of the feet.
§ Mrs. ThatcherInformation is provided about orthopaedic defects of the feet in the annual returns from local education authorities of medical inspection and treatment of pupils attending maintained primary and secondary schools. Just under 1 per cent. of children given medical inspections during 1970 217W were found to have orthopaedic defects of the feet requiring treatment and 2 per cent, had defects requiring observation.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether she will issue a circular requesting schools to launch an information campaign concerning the dangers of children's feet becoming permanently crippled through the wearing of ill-fitting shoes;
(2) whether she will issue a circular requesting heads of schools to warn parents of children at those schools of the danger of children becoming permanently crippled by ill-fitting shoes and further as to the need for the fit of their children's shoes to be checked at least once every three months.
§ Mrs. ThatcherNo. Advice about care of the feet was included in the "Handbook of Health Education" produced by my Department in 1968 and circulated widely to local education authorities and to schools. This stressed the importance of well-fitting shoes which allow children's feet to develop without cramping or distortion.
Schools nurses and health visitors give advice for children with foot defects along with their guidance on foot health and on the importance of well-fitting shoes which is given as part of normal health education individually or to groups of parents and children.