Papers of Marina Foster

Scope and Content

Papers of Marina Foster, including papers relating to the Centre for Urban Educational Studies (CUES) on collaborative learning, multi-cultural education, linguistic and cultural diversity and racism in education; materials from the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) and Greater London Council (GLC); papers relating to a period of study as a Teacher Fellow at the Institute of Education Centre for Multi-cultural Education; of materials and policies from LEAs outside Inner London; materials from non-statutory organisations/campaign groups, including Campaign against Racism in Children's Books, National Committee on Racism in Children's Books, Trust for Interracial Children's Books, Council for Interracial Books for Children, Campaign against Racism in Education (CARE), National Association for Multiracial Education (NAME), All London Teachers Against Racism and Fascism (ALTARF) and the Anti-racist Teacher Education network (ARTEN).

Administrative / Biographical History

Marina Foster was born and educated in South Africa and came to the UK as a refugee from apartheid in the 1960s. She worked as a teacher and teacher tutor/advisory teacher at the ILEA for many years and particularly at the Centre for Urban Educational Studies (CUES) where she was in the Language Division. She played an important role in the development of ILEA's policy on multi-ethnic education and in the development of in-service courses for teachers in linguistic and cultural diversity and in tackling institutional racism. She also studied for a year as a Teacher Fellow at the Institute of Education Centre for Multi-cultural Education on secondment from ILEA.

She was also an activist and campaigner for children's rights and against racial discrimination. As a Black teacher she herself had experience of discrimination within the educational system and in schools and as a Black parent was involved in community struggles for equality for Black and ethnic minority children.

Access Information

Open

Related Material

'Working at the CUES in the Seventies' by Marina Foster in 'Against the Tide, Black Experience in the ILEA' edited by S. Olowe, Inner London Education Authority, 1990