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Offline Website SoftwareAt a meeting on November 23, council members approved plans on how to provide babies, kids, and teenagers in Barking and Dagenham the best opportunity at life and to realise their full potential. The Best Chance 0–25 Partnership will set shared goals and adopt a more coordinated approach to health, care, and community integration, including education, special needs, and early years provision, over the course of the next three years. Together, the partnership will provide place-based care with a focus on early intervention in order to improve life chances and decrease health inequalities. It also aims to provide babies with the best start in life through a network of family hubs, support children in flourishing in inclusive schools, and more. The strategy was developed in response to the increasing number of issues that youth and children in the borough are facing.
Watch the video from the event here!
After completing Year 11, the top-performing GCSE students who opted to continue their education in Barking and Dagenham were honoured at the sixth annual Colin Pond Scholarship Awards ceremony. At a ceremony held at Barking's Broadway Theatre, parents, young people, and 64 students from 13 area schools received grants of total £300 each to use toward their A-level studies.
A student from Jo Richardson Community School who attended the event, said: “The Colin Pond Scholarship Awards are a great thing, they motivate people to study harder and achieve their potential.”
Nine out of ten schools in Barking and Dagenham are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
On Saturday, December 3, between 11 am and 5 pm, Barking Mad About Christmas will be back with a huge amount of family-friendly activities like carol singing, wreath-making, dance performances, magic acts, and even holiday bingo. Children once again have the opportunity to meet Santa and obtain a Christmas gift. Visitors can participate in an elf search during the celebrations in and around Barking Town Square, Barking Learning Center, and Barking Market. At 4.50 p.m., the celebrations come to a close with the lighting of the Christmas tree.
The relocation of London's historic wholesale markets to a purpose-built site in Dagenham Dock is part of a large-scale revitalisation project that will create thousands of jobs. In order to transform 42 acres of industrial land in Barking and Dagenham into a cutting-edge, sustainable wholesale food market, the City Corporation will invest nearly one billion pounds there directly. This will boost the local economy and ensure the sustainability of London's and the southeast's food supply. The new market is expected to support 7,850 employment nationwide and bring in 2,700 additional jobs to the borough, an increase of 1,140 (or 17%) over the positions currently supported by Billingsgate and Smithfield. The decision will open up interesting possibilities for collaboration with industry partners in the food industry, which will offer specialised training opportunities, jobs, and apprenticeships in this field. Along with an enhanced and healthier food selection, residents, neighbourhood businesses, and young people in the borough will all profit from these chances.
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