Opposition grows to school's name change plans

The chairperson of the Belfast branch of the Foyle and Londonderry College Old Girls' Association, Joan Milliken has said former female pupils feel their school is being "airbrushed" out of the picture, and that the move to rebrand the school as Foyle College, Londonderry was "provocative" and alarming.

Opponents of the school's plans believe the history of the boys' school is being celebrated and promoted, while the traditions of the girls' school are being consigned to the historical dustbin.

Her views were this week echoed by Ulster Unionist alderman, Mary Hamilton, who said the decision, especially coming at a time when the girls' school had chalked up 150 years as an educational establishment, was "wrong".

Mrs Hamilton also voiced similar views to those expressed by the East Londonderry MP, Gregory Campbell, who warned that the change would eventually lead to the dropping of 'Londonderry' altogether.

While the legal name will remain Foyle and Londonderry College - due to legislation surrounding the amalgamation of Foyle College and Londonderry High School in 1976 - the school intends to drop the 'and' from its name and replace it with a comma, to become Foyle College, Londonderry.

The proposal has outraged members of the Old Girls' Association, especially in London and Belfast, who are campaigning against it and warning that the effect of the name change will be to revert to the boys' school name only - thus effectively abolishing the link with the historic girls' school.

Speaking on the Sarah Brett show on Radio Foyle, Joan Milliken, who also voiced her feelings in a letter to the Sentinel last week, said that the school's leaders, while making preparations to mark 400 years of the boys' school, had overlooked the historical importance of the girls' school, and had not even marked its 150th anniversary this year.

She said old girls had only found out about the planned name change through the Londonderry Sentinel, adding: "The name was created in 1976 when Foyle was amalgamated with Londonderry High School.

"Now the proposal is to remove the 'and Londonderry' which is going to remove the reference to the amalgamation with the girls' school and we have all been very alarmed about it."

Ms Milliken, asked if old girls had asked the school for an explanation, replied: "The first reason they came up with was, 'well the school is known locally as Foyle, so this name is going to be changed to reflect the local use'. But we don't really accept that as an explanation. They are going to change the name on the school badge, they are going to change the name on stationery, and at the front of the school.

"But, okay, it's known locally as Foyle, but you can take many other examples of schools with a long official name such as Methodist College Belfast, which is just known as Methody, or Belfast Academical Institution, which is known as Inst, and everybody just calls it their local name but nobody's going to change the name on the stationery or on the school gate to reflect the local name.

"The other reason we have been given is that 'it's going to be the 400th anniversary of the boys' school in 2017 so we are going to do a rebranding exercise'. Well, one thing that's been overlooked is that in 1860 the girls' school started. Now education in Ireland in 1860 was at the forefront and we were one of the first girls' schools in the whole of Ireland and this is the 150th anniversary and that's been completely overlooked."We feel it's (name change) is very provocative. We help the school in every way we can. We go to the functions, we give money on a regular basis. Some have donated lump sums and some have put money in their wills."

Ms Milliken said old girls may not have done this, if they knew their school's name would be removed.

"Really, we want a school where both boys and girls can feel part of it," she concluded.

Her views were welcomed by Mary Hamilton who said she felt the school's Board of Governors must listen to the opinions of the High School old girls.

"This is a worrying development," she said. "Obviously the Old Girls' Association branches feel that the board views the contribution of Foyle College as being much more important than that of Londonderry High School, and therefore that only the name of Foyle College should survive into the future. Anyone can understand why this would anger the girls who went to Londonderry High School. It's as if the history of the girls' school means nothing, and the history of Foyle College means everything.

"The other issue is the political one. It's obvious 'Londonderry' will disappear too at some point, with the school falling in with the others who are removing the city's name from everything associated with the city."