Houses at one of Merseyside’s most prestigious schools have been renamed as they “were not reflective of the modern world”.
The Blue Coat School in Wavertree has confirmed five of its houses will adopt new names following an 18 month consultation. The school faced calls to remove the name of founder Bryan Blundell from members of the school community following the Black Lives Matter campaign after the worldwide outcry triggered by the death of George Floyd while in police custody in the United States last year.
Headteacher Scilla Yates then confirmed a wider engagement exercise would take place looking at reforming a further five house names. The names Shirley, Graham, Bingham and Styth have been removed owing to their historical links to the slave trade.
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In a letter to parents the school confirmed that it had come to the end of a “long process, but it was an important one to get right.” The letter added: “When it became clear that our previous house names were not reflective of the modern world we are a part of, students undertook some very detailed and considered research and debate about developing a set of house names that were more reflective of our society and our current values.”
As a result, the houses will be named to honour those who have pioneered science, challenged slavery and served their country. The names include Marie Curie, Dr Rosalind Franklin, William Roscoe, Mary Seacole, Alan Turing and the Tod family.
Dr Franklin was an Anglo-Jewish scientist who conducted a series of experiments during World War II and contributed to the discovery of DNA while Mr Roscoe served as a Liverpool MP who denounced the slave trade. Mary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse, businesswoman and humanitarian who provided food and care for soldiers during the Crimean war.
The Tod family have supported the school for more than 50 years and helped it stay open during the 1980s. In the letter, headteacher Scilla Yates said: “What I hope comes across through the names you see above is that they have inspired our students not just by their achievements, but also through the values, experiences and ability to overcome challenges.”
All students are being placed in one of the six houses and are being informed of the changes imminently. Last year it was confirmed the portrait of Blundell in the library and memorial stone in the chapel would be retained, but be accompanied by plaques with further information about the slave trader to educate about his past.
The annual Founders' Day, which faced calls to be scrapped, will continue but as "an educational opportunity for students to learn about the heritage of the school, so that the school is not ‘celebrating’ our founder but teaching our students about our history in an open and honest way."
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