| Gilroy has worked in education for more than 40 years. He served for 37 years in the Birmingham education service. This included 10 years as a primary school Head Teacher and 11 years as a Local Authority School Advisor. Through the National College for Leadership, Gilroy provided training for aspiring school leaders and newly appointed Headteachers, which included the Aspire Programme aimed at increasing BME representation in leadership.
Between 1975 and 1983, Gilroy also worked as a community artist, working both individually and in collaboration with various community organisations, including Weld, African Caribbean Self Help Organisation (ACSHO) and West Midlands Ethnic Minority Arts Service (WEMAS). He was also the chairman of WEMAS in the early 80s. One of his proudest moments came when he had the opportunity to exhibit his artwork at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in November 1981 alongside other upcoming Black artists – Vanley Burke, Pogus Caesar and Juginder Lamba. Between 1980 and 82, Gilroy, along with his younger brother Owen, formed an arts collective named Godabro that also included four of his siblings and two extended family members. They organised a number of art exhibitions across Birmingham. In November 1997, he collaborated with the late Roy Kwabena ( Caribbean Poet ) to form an artists’ collective known as ‘Gathering Power’, which aimed at promoting newly-established and seasoned Black artists – including Pauline Bailey and Willard Wiggan. A selection of works was exhibited at the Arcadian complex in Birmingham city centre. In 1989, he joined a national working party set up by the DFE to produce the National Curriculum guidelines for Art and Design. This was followed by artistic contributions to various multicultural education resources for both the Local Authority and Independent bodies. In the mid-90s, Gilroy co-founded the KWESI mentoring programme, which coordinated 30 mentors across 25 primary and five secondary schools, contributing to a reduction in exclusions. After retiring in 2012, Gilroy became an Education Consultant between 2012 and 2018. He worked in both Primary and Secondary Schools and was instrumental in improving school practice and outcomes. He continues to utilise his experience to support a number of school improvement initiatives. Between 2018 and 2019, he took on the role of Principal of King Solomon International Business School at a challenging time in its history, enabling leaders and managers to take effective action, resulting in rapid improvements. Since 2014, Gilroy has served as the Pastor of the Mount Shiloh Apostolic Church in Wolverhampton. He is also a member of the Churches 4 Positive Change initiative. In 2023, Gilroy published his autobiography, Redeemed, which charts his professional and spiritual journey. Recalling his childhood, Gilroy writes:
Gilroy says:
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