Juliet Coley is simply amazing. A former Senior Deputy Headteacher for 21 years, Juliet has been a black children’s book publisher for the last seven years and is the author of four books. She has survived pneumonia, a heart attack, heart surgery and bowel cancer. And… she completed her Masters with all this and COVID!
The woman is an inspiration and has motivated hundreds, probably thousands of young people.
(Scroll to the bottom for the interview)
Juliet Coley career
Mother of Yasmin (30 year old publicist), Bailey (25 year old music artist) and Romeo (14 year old author) Juliet has also been a Victim Support Counsellor, Promotions Manager for Britain’s best black newspaper The Voice 7 and a Television Presenter for Channel 4 and ITV1’s first ever, award winning gospel music programme ‘People Get Ready‘ before moving into education in the late 1990s.
Juliet Coley teaching career
Born and raised in Hackney, she became a teacher at a time when African Caribbean children, in particular black boys were under achieving and her Tottenham school was in an under resourced area and borough wide had poor examination outcomes for all students. Only 5% of students were achieving 5+ A* to C grades (without English and Maths). 7 years later, as Head of Year she broke school records with her Year group achieving 47% including English and Maths. 15 years later as Deputy Head and after taking whole school responsibility for the raising achievement in English, 75% of students were achieving 5+ A* to C grades including English and Maths. She coached and entered 120 students into an early GCSE English Language examination and 99% achieved an A* to C Grade and she was responsible for ‘Preparation for Ofsted Inspection’ and led the school through 3 successful Ofsted Outstanding grades on 3 consecutive occasions. A rare accolade for an inner city school in under resourced Tottenham where students entered the UK with poor and below average baseline grades.
In just her year of teaching she was rated by the Government inspectors from Ofsted as Outstanding and was nominated in the Lloyds Bank/TSB Teaching Awards for Best New Teacher in a Secondary school. (Told you, pretty amazing huh?!)
Juliet Coley’s awards
There’s a long list! None of those voted for by all your mates and as many people as you can get. None of those paid for ones either. All earned:
2018 – The Wise Woman in the Community Award.
2018 – Haringey Council top honour ‘The Outstanding Award in Education’
2019 – at the House of Lords awarded the Lord Hastings Integrity Baton Award for her work with young people.
2019 – Manhood Academy Global and Westside Young Leaders Academy The Marcus Garvey Award for her work with young people.
2019 – As the driver behind a student-led award-winning Anti-Gun and Anti-Knife crime campaign, ‘Value Life.’ The 10 year project was awarded: ‘The Queen’s Award’, which was an MBE for voluntary groups, an accolade only 3 schools nationally had won previously.
2019 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair also awarded her the Respect Award.
2019 winner of the Panache Covid Hero Award for her work as an educator and publisher, having published 60 young writers in 23 books written by Black children aged 6 to 15.
Juliet’s response to the Tottenham riots
The co-ordinator and driver behind an award winning national citizenship campaign ‘Everybody Dreams’ a music project following the 2011 Riots. This brought together the school with the local community, local council, the police and local, national and international music, television, sport and political celebrities to bring back positivity to Tottenham, where the 2011 Riots began. Hundreds of Celebrities supported the campaign and she was approached by Dave Stewart from Number 1 pop band The Eurythmics to mix the song in his LA studio for free. The song peaked at Number 33 in the iTunes charts.
Everybody Dreams School Music Project 2012 Documentary:
Part 1: (39) Everybody Dreams Documentary – Part 1 of 3 – YouTube
Part 2: (39) Everybody Dreams Documentary – Part 2 of 3 – YouTube
Part 3: (39) Everybody Dreams Documentary – Part 3 of 3 – YouTube
A year after the Riots, she organised the shut down of Tottenham High Road and coordinated a Student FlashMob which involved the school children, local businesses, Spurs and MP David Lammy. It has had over 54k views on YouTube. The single which the students sang on was mixed by iconic pop music legend Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics and reached number 33 in the iTunes charts.
Everybody Dreams FlashMob 2012
Very moving
Flash Mob – Everybody Dreams Tottenham London 060812 – YouTube
A Flashmob Dance of the song remix was performed in Wood Green with funds raised for Save the Children.
Flashmob – #song4london Everybody DreamsLDN 151217 – YouTube
Following the Grenfell Fire, London Terrorist attacks and the murder of Rashan Charles
In 2016 Juliet created a Song 4 London and video with students from different schools.
Deeply moving
(42) Everybody Dreams – Featuring Mobo Award Winner Guvna B #song4london – YouTube
Black children authors’ publisher
Following ill health, Juliet retired from formal education and now publishes Beautiful Black Books written by Beautiful Black Children aged 6 to 15. Three of the children authors have won awards for their work. Young Lit Stars catalogue 2022/3
Voluntary work
- Chief trustee for the anti-knife crime charity The Kiyan Prince Foundation for 12 years.
- Member of the Hackney Council Accountability Board for Improving Outcomes for Young Black Men.
- Volunteer once a week at a primary school in Hackney currently Ofsted graded as Requires Improvement to get their next inspection at good or better.
- Independent Custody Visitor for MOPAC, the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime where she makes unannounced visits to Police Custody Suites to check on the welfare of the detainees.
- Patron of a mixed independent School in Accra, Ghana.
Books
*Memoir “39 Weeks: Life Behind the School Gates” is about her 20+ years at Gladesmore and a bit about her life.
Cancer, Mummy & Me* which she wrote with her son, Liana Where is the Key?* And “Crayven the Nyamming Jancro”. ‘Craven was featured on a Black children’s story channel and read by House of Dragon’s sequel star Steve Toussaint.
Juliet Coley on The Complaining Cow Consumer Show
Juliet talks about her life, her varied career and how she turned people’s lives round and inspired a generation.
Juliet Coley, Senior Deputy Headteacher – and so much more…
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