School in Bristol with links to slave trader Edward Colston will keep its name but change its logo after vote by pupils, parents and staff

A Bristol school with links to Bristol slave trader Edward Colston has opted to keep its name but change its school logo after a vote by pupils, parents and staff.

The Dolphin School, a primary school in Montpelier next door to Colston's Girls' School, was set up eight years ago and took the name closely associated with Edward Colston and his family.

The school's emblem closely matched the family emblem of the Colston family.

The Dolphin School has decided it will change its logo after a consultation revealed the community felt it should be changed due to its likeness to the family crest of slave trader Edward Colston whose statue was torn down during a Black Lives Matter protest this summer

A consultation was launched last month with parents, pupils and staff learning about the links between the school and the 18th century slave trader, with a public consultation also taking place.

A total of 460 pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors voted in the internal poll and were given three options, to keep both the name and the emblem, change the emblem but keep the name, or change both.

Almost half - some 46 per cent - picked the option to keep the name but change the emblem, a result which exactly matched the 68 votes in the public poll, which also saw 46 per cent picking the 'middle' option.

Kate Jenkins, the school's acting principal, said: 'The children have enjoyed exploring two sides of a story so deeply connected to Bristol.

'They know who Edward Colston was and where much of his wealth came from, but many had not made the connection between the dolphin on the Colston family crest and the name and emblem of our school.

'We looked at the significance of these through a different lens and the children were fascinated by the range of opinions.

The school's current logo (far right) is almost identical to the family crest of Edward Colston while Colston's Girls' School, whose logo is pictured centre, will change its name

How is the dolphin linked to Edward Colston and why is it an issue for the school?

Dolphin School was set up in 2012 by the Society of Merchant Venturers as a primary school next door to Colston's Girls' School.

The dolphin has long been associated with Edward Colston, and the family emblem of two dolphins facing each other appears on the plinth beneath the statue of the slave trader.

A legend told over the centuries in Bristol has it that one of Colston's ships was damaged at sea and a hole appeared beneath the water line.

The ship was about to sink, but a dolphin wedged its body into the hole to stop up the leak and the ship managed to reach port.

As one of the key figures in the running of the Royal Africa Company in London in the 17th century, Colston's own ships transported 80,000 enslaved African people across to the plantations of North America and the Caribbean, and almost 20,000 died or were killed in the crossing.

As a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers in Bristol, Colston opened up the lucrative slave trade to Bristol's merchants and developed the specialised boats that effectively industrialised the transatlantic route enabling millions of people to be transported.

After moving from Bristol to London at the age of ten, he never returned to live in the city, but left a slice of his fortune to charitable projects, although only those who agreed with his religious views were generally allowed to receive alms or education.

When three charitable societies were set up in Victorian times to further the philanthropic work of Colston and the Society of Merchant Venturers, they were named Grateful, Anchor and Dolphin.

'They expressed their owns views articulately and demonstrated a high level of respect when listening to the views of their peers.'

The bronze memorial to the 17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 7, before being dumped in Bristol Harbour.

The statue was torn down amid growing tensions about Britain's colonial past, sparked by global outcry following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Floyd 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 first across the US before quickly spreading worldwide.

Following the toppling of the statue, all three of schools most closely linked with Edward Colston, that are still run by the Society of Merchant Venturers, announced a consultation on the future of their names.

Colston's Girls' School - which shares a similar dolphin logo with The Dolphin School - announced earlier this month it was going to change its name, Colston's School are still consulting, and the Dolphin School have now announced the result of its consultation.

The school said it delivered a series of lessons and workshops for pupils focusing on the curriculum-based enquiry 'What's in a name?'; alongside interactive sessions for parents and carers to help stimulate discussion at home.

The process concluded with a ballot amongst the immediate school community, with the questionnaire available in English, Sudanese and Somali.

'Feedback from the survey included a strong feeling that the dolphin itself is a positive image that represents intelligence, curiosity, playfulness and harmony and that this is a positive association for the school,' said a spokesperson.

'After half term, pupils will begin to consider how the school's identity might be reflected in a new emblem and a local artist will be commissioned to help bring that identity to life,' she added.

Gail Bragg, Chair of Trustees for Venturers Trust, the multi-academy trust run by the Society of Merchant Venturers, said she was impressed with the work of the children.

People cheered after the statue to the 17th Century slave trader was dumped into the water during a Black Lives Matter protest this summer as tensions grew over Britain's colonial past

'This has been an important journey for The Dolphin School community and the children have developed an important life skill in how to properly listen and be heard,' she said.

'I'm really impressed by the enthusiasm they have shown throughout the consultation process and the confidence they have demonstrated in asking questions and drawing their own conclusions.

'Our Trust-wide goal is for all children from all backgrounds to succeed and we must equip young people with the skills and confidence to make decisions and shape the future,' she added.

Chris Patterson, the school's chair of governors, said: 'We regularly review our curriculum to make sure that it's relevant to the many cultures and faiths of our students and staff.

'For all pupils to have the same opportunity to succeed, they must be able to see themselves represented in different lessons and learn about role models they can identify with.

'As a school community, we have chosen to rebrand our identity to reflect our collective aspirations and values,' he added.

Edward Colston: Beloved son of Bristol and wealthy slave trader

Edward Colston was integral in the Royal African Company, which had complete control of Britain's slave trade

Edward Colston was born to a wealthy merchant family in Bristol, 1636.

After working as an apprentice at a livery company he began to explore the shipping industry and started up his own business.

He later joined the Royal African Company and rose up the ranks to Deputy Governor.

The Company had complete control of Britain's slave trade, as well as its gold and Ivory business, with Africa and the forts on the coast of west Africa.

During his tenure at the Company his ships transported around 80,000 slaves from Africa to the Caribbean and America.

Around 20,000 of them, including around 3,000 or more children, died during the journeys.

Colston's brother Thomas supplied the glass beads that were used to buy the slaves.

Colston became the Conservative MP for Bristol in 1710 but stood only for one term, due to old age and ill health.

He used a lot of his wealth, accrued from his extensive slave trading, to build schools and almshouses in his home city.

A statue was erected in his honour as well as other buildings named after him, including Colston Hall.

However, after years of protests by campaigners and boycotts by artists the venue recently agreed to remove all reference of the trader.

On a statue commemorating Colston in Bristol, a plaque read: 'Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city.'

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, the statue of Colston overlooking the harbour was torn down.