Barking and Dagenham Mayor visits deaf school pupils

The Mayor of Barking and Dagenham took part in a signed sing-song when she visited Eastbury Primary School yesterday.

The Barking school hopes to be the first in the country to be fully sign language inclusive, with every pupil learning how to sign.

Mayor Cllr Elizabeth Kangethe spent Monday morning with some of the school’s nine deaf children and even joined in a signed rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours.

“I was really impressed to see that sign language is being embedded within the whole school and everyone was involved,” she said.

“All the children, staff and parents feel they are a part of this big sign language communication.

“The whole school joined in song using sign language and they all seem to really enjoy it.”

The school’s head of sign language provision, Majella Williams, added: “It’s not just about the deaf children, it’s about empowerment for everyone.”