Ripple Primary School recently became the eighth school in the borough to be awarded the coveted Gold Artsmark Award.

The Award, which is given out by Arts Council England, recognises excellence in creative learning and rewards schools, like Ripple Primary, who use art to make students more confident.

With this, its fourteenth award, Barking and Dagenham continues to lead with the highest number of schools on their Artsmark journey in the capital.

Residents in the borough are being urged to go green and help the environment in 2020 by signing-up to Barking and Dagenham Council’s Green Garden Waste scheme.

The fortnightly service, which costs £40 per year, offers subscribers an environmentally friendly way to dispose of garden waste such as flowers and grass cuttings, weeds, leaves, and hedge trimmings.

The scheme launched in 2017 and last year around 7,500 residents signed-up.

Is your child due to start primary school in September 2020? Then please remember the deadline for applications is next Wednesday, 15 January.

Although parents won’t find out the results until mid-April, it is vitally important that they apply by the deadline.

Late applications could mean parents are less likely to secure a place for their child at their preferred school.

Grafton Primary School got into the festive spirit before Christmas and raised over £600 for Romford Soup Kitchen.

 Teachers from the Dagenham school asked parents to donate to the Romford charity instead of sending in gifts with the children for staff members. 

The initiative set out to teach the pupils about the true meaning of Christmas and with the money raised, the school was able to purchase a range of items for homeless people living locally including sleeping bags, mats, pillows, toiletries, first aid items, clothing and more. 

A local business has been fined for failing to the let the council know how much waste they have received or disposed of over the last two years.

Becontree Heating & Plumbing Merchants Ltd, 427 Becontree Avenue was served with a Section 34 Environmental Protection Act 1990 notice by Barking and Dagenham Council enforcement officers requiring them to provide them with waste transfer notes for the period of 14 September 2016 to 14 September 2018.

Residents are being encouraged to give their views on Barking and Dagenham Council’s 2020/21 budget proposals.

Following severe government cuts over the last ten years, the council’s proposals aim to continue to protect key services and support our most vulnerable residents.

Dagenham school is first in London to be awarded Thrive Ambassador status

Thomas Arnold primary school in Dagenham, was recently awarded Ambassador status by Thrive, an education training provider. The Dagenham school becomes the first in London to achieve Ambassador status.

Thrive provides teachers with the necessary training required to make pupils feel safe and secure, as well as empowering them to meet their emotional and social needs.

Two illegal street traders who fell foul of the law have had their wares confiscated thanks to a joint operation by council enforcement officers and the police. 

In two separate incidents in Barking, enforcement officers seized goods from a man selling perfume and Apple Air Pods and then from a woman who was trying to flog tobacco, cigarettes and DVDs.

A wannabe ‘Del Boy’ has been found guilty in court for selling counterfeit designer clothes at Dagenham Sunday Market.

Kane Steven McCarthy of Rose Lane, Romford was sentenced last week (Wednesday 4 December) at Snaresbrook Crown Court for selling fake clothes and was ordered to pay £4,440.40 for proceeds of crime, fined £500 and charged £1000 in costs.

It’s December, it’s cold and the council does not expect anyone to be sleeping rough in Barking and Dagenham.