Britain’s first black female headteacher Yvonne Conolly

For Black History Month we have been celebrating the lives of black people who have shaped Britain’s history.

Yvonne Conolly was the UK’s first black female headteacher when she was appointed to Ring Cross primary school in Islington in London in 1969.

She was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020 for services to education.

She talks about her experiences after travelling to England from Jamaica to teach and why she wants to inspire the next generation of black teachers and school leaders.