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Howden school ditches Raleigh, Drake and Nelson houses for modern heroes after ex-pupil's racism complaint
Head teacher has explained why figures such a Francis Drake, Horatio Nelson and Walter Raleigh are no longer relevant
James Campbell
An East Yorkshire school has changed its house names and replaced historical figures with modern heroes and role models.

Since the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum last year, there have been calls to replace street names and statues of those from the past who have links to the slave trade.

The movement was sparked by the death of George Floyd who was killed when white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds despite his desperate pleas that he 'can't breathe'. He passed out and later died in Minneapolis on May 25.

His death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans sparking outrage and largely-peaceful protests across the US and then globally.

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Now Howden Junior School has taken its own steps to distance itself from slave trade links by changing its house names.

Famous historical figures Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake and Horatio Nelson – linked to Britain’s colonial past - are being replaced with modern role models.

Staff and pupils at the school have chosen to change the names to honour environmental activist Greta Thunberg, footballer and poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford, American poet Amanda Gorman who read a piece at Joe Biden's inauguration and human rights activist Malala Yousafzai.

The change was sparked by a former pupil who wrote an emotional letter to the school at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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(Image: Hulton Archive)
It said: “regarding the housing systems, it has become abundantly clear the pupils are not aware of what these men were involved in.

“In English history, all three of them have been portrayed as admirable and courageous while their despicable deeds have been brushed under the carpet and have not been discussed in the classroom.”

The former pupil went on to talk about Drake’s career which began as a slave trader while both Raleigh and Nelson both supported the slave trade.

She ends by saying: “By celebrating these disgusting men and teaching children about all the good they did, you are indirectly supporting racism.”

There are concerns such moves are re-writing history but rather than try and defend the house names, head teacher Lee Hill took on board what the letter said and acted.

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Howden Junior School has replaced school house names from historical figures to honour modern heroes including new artwork (Image: Howden Junior School)
In a series of tweets he announced the house name changes and explained how the school had come to the decision.

He said: “I'm really excited and proud to share this. Not just because of the individuals our School Council chose as representing our school community values or the incredible art from local artist Amy Smith but because of the courage of one child who made a stand.

“This former pupil not only educated me about the history of the three house names - that sat on our website, in our hall and were raised as ambassadors for our school, but also explained the impact of seeing these figures - who have links to slavery, oppression and racism - had on her during her time at our school.

“Not only a brave email to send to a white male in a position of power but also an email that set off a chain of events.”

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The letter prompted a series of debates about what to do about the situation.

Mr Hill said: “This led to some very difficult but important conversations with each other and the children.

Beyond the fact they had been in place for decades, we had no tangible reason behind them. We didn't team them in our curriculum and we clearly didn't know all aspects of their history.

“None of our pupils knew who they were (beyond sailors) nor could they relate to them.”

Mr Hill revealed that by ignoring the situation the school would be inadvertently condoning racism.

Watch: Black Lives Matter protest in Hull in 2020
The third Black Lives Matter demonstration in Hull

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The third Black Lives Matter demonstration in Hull
He said: “We do not condone racism or any form of discrimination in our school but by doing nothing we were. We were sending a message that it was part of our culture through our inaction - it was systemic and accepted. We had a responsibility to act.

“Our school values are community, courage, curiosity and care. The individuals displayed proudly in our school did not match our values. They did not represent our community. They did not represent our school.”

Mr Hill explained that the children had the final say in who was chosen to represent the houses.

He said: “Our children chose who they wanted to represent each house. They did us proud.

“They chose people who were diverse - not only because of the colour of their skin, their place of birth or their faith - but for their actions, their values and their impact on the world we share.

“This is a change driven by the children (past and present) of our school in its truest sense - something we should all be incredibly proud of. Something, albeit small, that should give us all hope.”

And there was a final message for the ex-pupil who wrote the letter which sparked the change.

Mr Hill said: “To Francesca, I want to say thank you for your courage - for making a stand, for being a role model to our school community and beyond. For showing that each of our voice matter and that we can make a change for the better.

“You have taught me more than you can imagine.”

 

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