Our new Windrush resources, part of Hackney's Diverse Curriculum, have been created by a dedicated team of Hackney teachers and education consultants.
Laura Henry-Allain MBE
Laura Henry-Allain MBE is an award-winning international writer, speaker and consultant. She is the creator of the well-loved CBeebies characters JoJo and Gran Gran as well as the series’ associate producer. She is also executive producer on a few shows that are currently in development.
Laura is the vice-president of The British Association for Early Childhood Education, and is an educational consultant for several well-known brands as well as children’s media, television and publishing.
Poppy Bienias
Poppy is an Assistant Headteacher, English and Humanities Lead and Year 6 teacher at St John St James CoE school in Hackney.
Poppy is passionate about creating curriculum and cultures in schools, which respond to the diversity of the country we live in and which empower young people to explore and express what matters to them.
Marlene Wylie
Through 25 years of art, craft, design and technology teaching, Marlene Wylie uses a lived experience lens, to support the development of anti-racist approaches to education. Her parents arrived in Hackney from the Caribbean in the early 1960s as part of the Windrush era.
Marlene was born in Hackney and although she moved away shortly afterwards, she returned to work as a freelance textile designer and educational consultant.
Her work now involves supporting and advising art, craft, design and technology subject leads by way of an extensive network of professional art educators in her role as President Elect of the National Society of Education in Art and Design (NSEAD).