Dawn Ferdinand is Headteacher of the Year in a Primary School 2024-2025. She is in her 25th year of headship and is currently the Co-Headteacher of The Willow Primary School and Broadwaters’ Children’s Centre. She has led her previous school, The Willow School and Broadwaters’ Childcare to Outstanding. Dawn has also been an Executive Headteacher and a co-founding member of several organisations, including BEN (Black Educators’ Network – both Islington and Haringey), and Roots to Excellence. A strong advocate for inclusion, Dawn is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable children and works tirelessly to ensure that all children have opportunities to thrive.

Strategic leadership, school improvement, mentoring Headteachers and other senior leaders, building effective teams, developing systems and structures, and a proven track record of leading schools and supporting other leaders to drive improvement in challenging circumstances.