- Colston’s Primary School, Bristol opened 70 years ago but will change its name
- After consultations and debates, governors decided to change school’s name
- It is unclear what name the school will adopt for September 2018
A school named after 17th century British slave trader Edward Colston is to change its name after a string of protests and campaigns.
Colston’s Primary School in Bristol opened 70 years ago and was named after one of the city’s most successful businessman.
But after a consultation and debates, governors decided to cave into pressure and change the name of the school – although the new identity has yet to be released.
The school’s governor announced that it will keep the name of the school until September 2018, where it will then change its name.
In April this year, the city’s famous Colston Hall announced its own plans to drop the name of the controversial figure.
And the Colston Society in St Mary Redcliff Church, Bristol, was given a police guard after protesters threatened to interrupt the annual service.
A school named after controversial 17th century British slave trader Edward Colston is the latest to change its name after protests and campaigns elsewhere
Chair of governors Kate Swainson Price said: ‘After an open and honest debate across our school community, governors voted in line with the majority vote by stakeholders who participated in the consultation and will now look at choosing a new name for September 2018.’
Headteacher Alex Bell added: ‘The school’s rich past as Colston’s Primary will not be erased but celebrated via a timeline project currently in development as part of our 70th anniversary activities this year.
‘Children will be exploring the school’s history and heritage further, and ex-pupils and staff from the school are invited to share memories of their time at Colston’s Primary School in person or via our digital timeline due to be launched in January 2018.’
Colston’s Girls’ School is to resist calls from activists to change its controversial name
However another school in the city has refused to bow down to pressure from within the community.
Colston’s Girls’ School, in Bristol, said there was no benefit in ‘obscuring history’ and said instead it wanted students to ‘engage thoughtfully with the past’.
The school, one of the best-performing in the region, has been under pressure to drop the controversial name over claims it is offensive to ethnic minorities.