Joan Goody (1924-2008) was an English teacher and pioneer in introducing Caribbean, African and Asian literature into British schools. The New Beacon bookshop became an important resource for this initiative and she became a long-standing friend of the founders, John La Rose and Sarah White.

The collection at the GPI includes Joan’s papers, publications and materials, both photographic and audio. It represents a significant archive of English teaching at a time, from the 1960s to 1990s, when teachers were trying to bring Caribbean, African and Asian literature to multiracial classrooms, and which was also part of anti-racist efforts. The schools she taught at included Risinghill, an early inner-city multi-ethnic comprehensive school in Islington, and Clissold Park School in Hackney, where she was Head of the English Department.

Joan was actively involved at every level of English teaching. She was a member of the London Association for the Teaching of English (LATE) where she founded the Multi-Cultural Commission, which led to her contributing to national reports on English teaching and Multi-Cultural Education. Later, she was an Advisory Teacher at the Inner London Education (ILEA) Authority for Multi-Cultural/Multi-Ethnic and Anti-Racist Education. Many of the teachers she worked with are also represented in this archive.

In 1978-1979, Joan took part in the Caribbean Teachers' Exchange Programme at the Mount Hope Junior Secondary School in Trinidad.

To find out about the Joan Goody archive collection and discover more about Joan’s extensive activities and achievements visit the archive page

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