"A bucket of cold water": a follow-up study in a residential special school

This paper reports the initial findings of a follow-up study of the 75 young men who were admitted in their early teens to a residential school for maladjusted boys over a five year period. Sixty were traced and interviewed in depth, using an approach based on methods established at the Institute of Psychiatry. A structured interview was used which covered the individual's recollections of family, peer experiences, schools and adult life, with a special section on the residential therapeutic environment. The data allowed an assessment of their overall psycho-social adjustment. The preliminary analysis indicates that two-thirds had no current problems of note, and that just under two-fifths had had no history of problems since leaving. With only a few exceptions, the ex-boys' evaluation of the school's regime was positive.