Black Teacher - the story of Beryl Gilroy by Camden Local Studies

In this Camden Local Studies talk, Darla Jane Gilroy tells the story of her mother, Beryl Gilroy, pioneering teacher, writer, psychotherapist and Camden’s first black headteacher.

Gilroy was one of Britain’s most significant post-war Caribbean migrants. She arrived in England from Guyana in 1952, as an experienced and qualified teacher but due to the racism of the time only found a teaching post in 1954. In the 1960s she began teaching at Tufnell Park School, and in 1969 was appointed as headteacher of Beckford School in West Hampstead, the first black headteacher in Camden.

Gilroy was decades ahead of her time in understanding the needs of children and made a significant contribution to British education. In 1976 she published her memoir “Black Teacher”, telling the inspiring story of her struggle against those who sought to diminish her because of racism.

Darla Jane Gilroy is Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange and Reader in Fashion Enterprise at Central Saint Martins UAL.