Parents, teachers, and former pupils have hit back at a “woke” headteacher’s plan to axe Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh’s names from boarding houses at a Devon private school.
The plan, led by head Louise Simpson, would also see the number of houses at Exeter School cut from 10 to five, and historical figures like Drake and Raleigh dropped for local geographical features or surrounding roads.
GB News understands that the school has sent out a survey to gauge opinion on the proposed name changes – but it contained no option to uphold the current names or provide any individual feedback.
The proposed changes sparked an outcry from members of the school community – and then from the wider public after the row was covered in the media.
Head Louise Simpson’s “woke” plan would see Drake and Raleigh’s names dropped from boarding houses
Public domain/Facebook/Exeter School
The school released a statement in response to the coverage, which read: “The proposed restructure of our pastoral system at Exeter School is not an attempt to change or eradicate our history, of which we are enormously proud.
“The recent comments being quoted in the press are from three years ago during a discussion with our school community about our own history at the time when statues of historical figures were being toppled.”
But a former Exeter pupil – who asked to remain anonymous – said: “They’re admitting that they’re getting rid of the houses, while telling everyone that they’re not, by hiding behind bureaucracy! They must think we’re stupid.”
The ‘Old Exonian’ said there was a group fighting the changes comprised of former pupils, and parents and teachers past and present – all of whom came forward to GB News to voice their frustrations.
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A former pupil said scrapping the house system “breaks the link between alumni and students”
Exeter School
A former Exeter teacher said: “I’d be extremely surprised if, without significant prompting, any of the students are clamouring to bin the house names.”
GB News was told that “almost everyone” in the group thought the names should be left alone.
A current parent said: “Simpson tried to do this back in 2021 and told The Times why she was doing it. When that effort failed because of backlash, she probably decided to cut the number of houses in order to get her name changes through.
“Cutting down on the number of houses is like getting rid of the sorting hat at Hogwarts. Louise Simpson is basically Dolores Umbridge.”
Redvers Buller’s name was also removed alongside Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh
Public Domain
A former pupil, who studied under the Assisted Places Scheme, said: “Whenever you meet an Old Exonian, the first question you ask is: ‘What house were you in?’ – if that is taken away, it breaks the link between alumni and students.
“It’s going to make the school elitist because the houses are the best connection between people like me and the wealthier current generation of pupils.”
Some members of the group lamented the shift in attitudes under the current head – one former teacher said “none of this was happening under Bob [Griffin, Simpson’s “much loved” predecessor]”.
A former student said: “It’s not for us to tell a Headmistress what she can and cannot do to the school, that is a decision that the Governors must come to collectively.
“But this change seems unnecessary and self-serving, with no consideration to the tradition of the establishment.”
Another retired teacher said: “It’s unbelievable that she has brought in all of this diversity, equity and inclusion stuff, as if everyone was a racist before she got there.”
While another ex-pupil added: “Wokeness was never a thing at Exeter School when I was there.”
A parent said: “The damning of Drake by Ms Simpson shows how limited her knowledge of history is. Her predecessors oversaw the expansion of the school library, perhaps she should visit it and read a book…she might learn something.”
Exeter School said the changes to the house system would form a “matrix approach of pastoral support and character development” called a “tartan structure”.
It confirmed they “will need to reduce the number of houses by half” and said it valued “the long history of the school and continue to celebrate and remember this in many aspects of school life”.
