Mollie Hunte - fought for fair treatment of Black pupils in the UK schools system
- Maya Bello-Taylor
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 11
Educational Psychologist, Community Activist, and Founder of the Caribbean Parents Group
Mollie Hunte was one of the most influential voices in the Black Education Movement in Britain. As an educational psychologist, campaigner, and community leader, she worked tirelessly to challenge racism in schools and to give Black children and their families the tools to succeed.
From the 1960s through to the 1990s, Mollie helped to shape a generation of parents and teachers who demanded fair treatment for Black pupils. Through her leadership in groups such as the Caribbean Parents Group, she ensured that Black families were no longer silent in the face of educational inequality.
Mollie was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1932. She began her career as a teacher in Georgetown before moving to London in 1961. Determined to continue her studies, she worked in schools while studying part time for over a decade, eventually earning degrees in psychology, sociology, and child development.
By 1980, she had completed her MSc in Child Development and Educational Psychology at the University of East London. Alongside her studies, she was already deeply involved in community education work.
In the 1970s and 80s, Black children in Britain were often unfairly labelled as “educationally sub-normal” and sent to special schools that limited their opportunities. Mollie challenged this discriminatory practice directly.
As an educational psychologist in Brent and Ealing, she ensured that assessments of Black children were carried out fairly and campaigned against biased IQ testing. She also worked closely with parents, explaining how systemic racism operated in the school system and how they could advocate for their children.
In 1975 Mollie co-founded the Caribbean Parents Group (CPG) in Ealing. The group emerged in response to the local council’s policy of bussing Black and Asian children out of their neighbourhood schools, a practice designed to limit the number of “immigrant” children in any one classroom.
The CPG became a powerful voice for parents, organising regular meetings, conferences, and reports. Its Supplementary School provided Black children with lessons in culture and heritage that mainstream schools ignored, while also boosting academic achievement.
Later, the group launched the Caribbean Parents Credit Union to give families greater financial independence and stability.
Mollie did not stop with the CPG. She co-founded the Westphi Academy in 1990, which offered training for teachers, governors, and childcare professionals, with a strong focus on working effectively with Black children and parents.
In 1989 she established PEV Consultancy, providing assessments, tutoring, training, and psychological support for children and adults who were often overlooked by mainstream services.
She was also a member of the Afro-Caribbean Education Resource (ACER), founded by historian Len Garrison, which created teaching materials that reflected the lives and histories of African, Caribbean, and Asian students.
Mollie Hunte’s legacy lies in the many children she helped to keep out of discriminatory school placements, the parents she empowered to speak up, and the organisations she built that continue to inspire community activism today.
She proved that education could be a site of resistance as well as opportunity. Mollie’s work connected families, schools, and communities in the shared fight for justice and equality.
Her archives, held at the London Metropolitan Archives, remain a vital resource for understanding the struggles and achievements of the Black Education Movement in Britain.
For more information on Mollie Hunte’s life and the Mollie Hunte Collection, visit the London Metropolitan Archives.
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