Barking and Dagenham schools in spotlight in inspection

CHILDREN’S services in the borough have been rated lower than last year in an �Ofsted inspection.

The 2010 review of services for children and young people has rated Barking and Dagenham as performing ‘‘adequately’’.

Last year they were ‘‘performing well’’ but inspectors said that “there is not enough good universal provision” to award that grade again.

The areas inspected include schools, child care, child �protection services and �children’s social care.

The report, which was written in July, said that GCSE �results were improving and that the gap with the national average is closing. It rated Trinity School, Heathway, �Dagenham; Abbey Children’s Centre, North Street, Barking; and local fostering services as ‘‘outstanding’’.

However it said that four �primary schools are ‘‘inadequate’’, obesity and teenage pregnancy levels are too high, and that the stability of longer-term placements of children in care “remains an area of �concern”.

Helen Jenner, the council’s corporate director for �children’s services, said: “To an extent this review has been overtaken by recent progress but we �welcome the findings and �recognise that further �improvements are necessary with regard to improving our primary schools.”