Schools rebrand to erase legacy of slavery and empire

Drake and Raleigh are to be relegated to history as pupils join activists in a growing campaign for name changes

Thirty schools are erasing the names of British empire-builders and slave traders in the wake of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Seven school name changes have been approved, with a further four under review and five facing calls to rename, including in Bristol, where protesters toppled a statue of the slave trader Sir Edward Colston last summer.

At least 14 more have removed names such as Clive, Aske, Gladstone and Drake from their titles, houses and buildings in recent months or are consulting about doing so after pressure from pupils.

They range from top private schools, some of which benefited from donations by slave traders, to Howden Junior School, a rural primary in East Yorkshire. It has renamed its Drake, Nelson and Raleigh houses after living figures including Greta Thunberg, Marcus Rashford and Malala Yousafzai.