§ Mr. George Rodgersasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science at what frequency medical examinations of school children are conducted and how many such examinations are carried out during the school life of the child leaving school at 16 years of age.
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§ Dr. OwenI have been asked to reply.
Responsibility for the medical and dental inspection and treatment functions of school health services passed to the Secretary of State for Social Services on 1st April 1974 as part of the reorganisation of the National Health Service.
There is no predetermined frequency of medical examinations of schoolchildren. The trend in recent years has been towards a pattern which includes medical examinations when the child enters and leaves primary school and leaves secondary school, with additional examinations undertaken on a selective basis for children brought under notice by parents, teachers or school nurses. It is not, therefore, possible to say how many times a child leaving school at 16 years of age will have been examined during school life.