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Children from Becontree Primary School returned to school last week to be greeted by some new, vibrant artwork thanks to the Bow Arts Trust working in partnership with the school's Cultural Team Lead, Mantee Doogan.

From the onset, the School Council were deeply involved in the decision process about what the new artwork should look like and where it should be placed. After many discussions with their classes, the council decided that the new artwork should spell the word ‘RESPECT’ as that is part of the current school motto of ‘Respecting one another.’

Residents The role of faith communities in bringing people together was highlighted at an event which saw Barking and Dagenham Council and the Barking and Dagenham Faith Forum sign up to a Charter for Faith and Belief Inclusion.

The charter has been created by the Faith & Belief Forum - a charity whose work aims to create good relations between people of different faiths and beliefs.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham are urged to confidentially identify people who dump rubbish as the latest instalment of the council’s CCTV Appeal has been released. 

 

The latest episode features shameless fly-tipping incidents caught on camera including dumping of washing machines, ‘To Let’ signs, bags of rubbish and even someone urinating next to a bin store. 

 

The council launched the YouTube series last year as part of a campaign to reduce fly-tipping and to create cleaner streets. 

 

The Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council today welcomed news from the City of London Corporation that the borough is the preferred option for the relocation of London’s iconic markets.

This announcement followed plans announced last August to consolidate Billingsgate, New Spitalfields and Smithfield markets under one roof, relocating them to a new site.

Barking and Dagenham Council has launched a new scheme to give adults the opportunity to support local children who may not have had the best start in life. 

The ‘Independent Visitor’ scheme will involve volunteers being matched with a child in the local authority’s care to provide them with opportunities that they may not have had in the past.

Independent Visitors will meet the child six times a year and support them in carrying out a range of activities to help build their confidence and self-esteem. Activities might include:

Barking and Dagenham council has committed another £38m on refurbishing its council housing stock, bringing the total spent so far to £88m on its Decent Homes programme in 2018-19.

The annual programme sets out the council’s commitment to raise the bar and improve the overall condition of its housing stock, while ensuring a safe and comfortable living environment for residents.

There is no beating Barking and Dagenham when it comes to securing primary school places as 94.89 per cent of parents have been given their first preference.

The figures released by the Pan London Admissions Board show that Barking and Dagenham has once again smashed the London average of 85.54 per cent. 

The deadline to apply for a primary school place was 15 January and figures show Barking and Dagenham Council received 3270 applications. 

The Maples Nursery in Barking has been told by Ofsted to spread their good practice following the outcome of a recent inspection.

The Barking nursery, which opened in May 2017, has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted in a rare scenario for an early years setting to receive the top recognition for its first inspection. 

Inspectors visited the nursery last month and were impressed with the well organised environment and the ‘exceptionally strong’ relationship between parents and staff. 

Barking and Dagenham Council and BDCVS have come together to co-fund events and activities that bring communities together to celebrate this year’s St George’s Day.

The Barking and Dagenham Together for St George's Day Grant Programme, is part of a series of new funding opportunities from BDCVS made available to organisations in Barking and Dagenham to promote cohesion and equality.

Barking and Dagenham is set to partner with the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to deliver the Early Years Transformation Academy (EYTA) 2019/20.

The borough is one of five areas locally to partner with the EIF – all chosen through a competitive process, from 18 areas across England who expressed an interest in the programme.