For your information Parking to pest control, housing to hate crime turn to pages 14 & 15 Useful information Skills to make better parents News from the council’s children’s services team THIS is the first column of 2015 but such is the pace of life that half-term is almost upon us already. Nevertheless, before we look ahead to the next exciting 12 months ahead, there was an event just before the Christmas break that summed up the kind of wonderful impact many of the council’s children’s services have on our community. In December, 94 parents graduated from parenting courses. This took the total for 2014 up to 600. Between them these parents have 1,800 children, meaning 1,800 children in our borough will benefit from this training. The council delivers various courses throughout the year aimed at helping people improve their parenting skills to better engage with their children. This is the kind of fantastic service that ticks along in the background, just quietly getting on with making Tower Hamlets a better place. Those who organise and take part in these courses rarely get their share of the spotlight but we are putting that right by giving them a richlydeserved mention in this week’s column. Congratulations to all in - volved and we look forward to hundreds more parents completing courses during 2015. Turning to the coming months, parents will be anxiously awaiting notification of where their child will be going to school. The announcement for secondary school places will be on March 2 and the primary school places announcement is April 16. The pupil admissions team handles about 10,000 applications every year, and is now hard at work poring through the bulk of them. Extra focus is put on the team by the oft-mentioned squeeze on school places in London. But in Tower Hamlets we are well placed to accommodate the extra numbers of children. We have just finished rebuilding or refurbishing every maintained secondary school in the borough. Not only does this mean we can cater for an everincreasing population, but young people’s results show a marked improvement when they have the benefit of modern, purpose-built surroundings and the latest equipment. We are now making great progress with improving our primary schools too. The stunning new Woolmore Primary School will shortly open. Over the next few years the new site will allow for a further 420 pupil places. Meanwhile, the children at Stebon Primary School are enjoying their expanded facilities, which include larger classrooms, extra toilets and a new dining hall. The expansion means the school’s capacity will eventually increase by a third. This programme of primary school improvements will continue apace. However, we know that not all learning takes place in the classroom. That is why, on Monday, January 26, we hosted the first home educators information event. This event brought together home educators and parents of home-educated children to network and to share their experiences. We want to do all we can to help children succeed, regardless of where they are taught, and we look forward to further success during 2015. Robert McCulloch-Graham, director for education, social care and wellbeing Not long until place announcements The announcement for secondary school places will be on March 2 and the primary school places announcement is April 16. The pupil admissions team is now hard at work poring through them. see below Chemist rota Pharmacists in Tower Hamlets with extended opening hours. E1 ABC Drug Stores, 12-14 Montague Street: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-2.30pm. Beck & Sherman, 197 Whitechapel Road: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5.30pm, bank holidays 11am-1pm. Sainsbury’s, The Albion Brewery: Mon-Fri 8.30am- 10pm, Sat 7.30am-10pm, Sun 11am-5pm. Chapel, 139 Cannon Street: Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-6pm. E2 Fairdale, 360 Bethnal Green Road: Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri 9am-6.30pm, Thurs 9am-1pm, Sat 9am-6pm, bank holidays 11am-2pm. Florida, 307 Bethnal Green Road: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, bank holidays 11am-2pm. E3 Bell, 534 Roman Road: Mon- Sat 7am-11pm, Sun 10am-2pm. Forward, 648 Mile End Road: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am- 6pm, Sun and bank holidays 10am-6pm. Green Light, St Andrew’s Health Centre, 2 Hannaford Walk: 8am-8pm, seven days a week, including bank holidays. Lincoln, 60 St Paul’s Way: Mon, Tues, Weds 8am-8pm, Thurs, Fri, 8am-8pm, Sat 9am- 5pm. Tesco, Hancock Road: Mon 8am-10.30pm, Tues-Fri 6.30am-10.30pm, Sat 6.30am- 10pm, Sun 11am-4pm. E14 Boots, Unit 15, Jubilee Place: Mon-Fri 7am-midnight, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 12pm-6pm. Britannia (Perimart), Asda Precinct, East Ferry Road: Mon- Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 11am-4pm, bank holidays 11am-6pm. Doctors Please ring your doctor’s surgery for an appointment, but if it’s the weekend or late at night, call 7377 7151 (only for people in Tower Hamlets who are registered with a doctor). To find a doctor, dentist or help to quit smoking call the health hotline on 7364 5016, Mon-Fri 8am-8pm and Sat 8am-4pm. Advice Family Information Service (FIS) The Family Information Service provides information for people from birth to age 19 including helping parents and carers find high quality childcare, advice on tax credits and childcare vouchers. Open Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm. 30 Greatorex Street, E1. fis@towerhamlets.gov.uk 7364 6495 Tower Hamlets Home Birth Support Group Last Thurs of each month, 8pm. 31 Ridgdale Street, E3. 8981 1159 Parents Advice Centre (PAC) Offers impartial advice around special educational needs (SEN). 30 Greatorex Street, E1. Drop-in sessions every Tues, 9.30am- 3.30pm & Fri, 9:30am-3.30pm. 7364 6489 LinkAge Plus Toynbee Hall is one of five network centres that coordinates services and activities provided. Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm, dropin session for advice on benefits, pensions, employment and housing. Appointments necessary. Mon 9am-5pm, Bangladeshi group. Toynbee Hall, Commercial Street, E1 7392 2914 www.toynbeehall.org.uk Welfare advice All the organisations listed below can help you with welfare benefits, housing and general debt problems. Account 3 1-9 Birkbeck Street, E2. 7739 7720 www.account3.org.uk Bangladesh Youth Movement 21-23 Henriques St, E1. 7488 1831/2 Bromley by Bow Centre St Leonard’s Street, E3. 8709 9737 www.bbbc.org.uk Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 32 Greatorex Street, E1. 7247 1050 www.adviceguide.org.uk Island Advice Centre Island House, Roserton Street, Isle of Dogs, E14. 7987 9379 www.island-advice.org.uk Legal Advice Centre University House, 104 Roman Road, E2. 8980 4205 www.legaladvicecentre.org.uk Limehouse Project Cheadle Hall, Cheadle House, Copenhagen Place, E14. 7538 0075 www.limehouseproject.org.uk Praxis (New Residents Service) Pott Street, E2. 7729 7985 www.praxis.org.uk Tower Hamlets Law Centre (specialist advice by appointment). Tower Hamlets Law Centre, Unit 1, St. Anne’s Street, off 789-791 Commercial Road, E14. 7538 4909 www.thlc.co.uk Debt advice Toynbee Hall Advice Service 28 Commercial Street, E1. 7392 2953 advice@toynbeehall.org.uk www.toynbeehall.org.uk Fair Money Advice 530 Commercial Road, E1. 7702 8032 www.fairfinance.org.uk Island Advice Centre Island House, Roserton Street Isle of Dogs, E14. 7987 9379 www.island-advice.org.uk National Debt Line 0808 808 4000 Photo order form Copies of pictures published in East End Life taken by council photographers are available to readers. To request a copy, email eastendlife.news@tower hamlets.gov.uk and we can send it straight away. If you do not have access to email fill in this form and send it to Photos, East End Life, Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, Poplar, E14 2BG. This service does take longer. Name Address Issue no. Page no. 8 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 9 – 15 FEBRUARY 2015
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