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Colston’s Girls School to start ‘transparent process’ on possible name change
A school in Montpelier named after notorious slave trader Edward Colston is to begin “a transparent process” to ask whether they should change their name.
Colston’s Girls’ School on Cheltenham Road will begin a consultation in September to ask whether it should have a new moniker.
It comes after the school removed a smaller version of Colston’s statue the day after its full-size counterpart was toppled by protesters and thrown into the docks.
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“Following the protests in Bristol last Sunday, many of our students, both past and present, have contacted the school to share their feelings, including about the name Colston’s Girls’ School, which some students wish to keep and others wish to change,” said principal, Kerry McCullagh.
“We are very open with our students about where the wealth of the school’s benefactor came from and we recognise that the name Colston does not always sit comfortably.
“With the full support of our sponsors, the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University of Bristol, the Board of Venturers Trust and the leadership team of Colston’s Girls’ School have decided that the time is right to begin a transparent process to determine whether the name Colston’s Girls’ School should be changed.
“A six-week consultation will begin in September 2020 when we hope to be able to reopen the school to all year groups and facilitate the necessary opportunities for our students to debate and discuss the issue with their peers in person.”
McCullagh said that the school has “already begun to develop a framework for the consultation to identify how individuals can contribute”.
It was only as recently as 2017 that the school asked whether it should change its name, then telling parents that it was “not appropriate” to remove Colston’s name.
The new consultation process promises to “place the views of our students at (its) heart” as well as welcoming input from parents, stakeholders and the local community.
The six-week consultation will conclude with a decision on whether to keep or change the name of the school and, if the latter, what the new name will be.
Main photo: Colston’s Girls School
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