Chelmsford school renames house after JK Rowling controversy
The school's decided to change the name to Holmes instead
Last updated 6th Jan 2022
A secondary school that named a house after JK Rowling has dropped the title in light of the Harry Potter authorās ācomments and viewpoints surrounding trans peopleā.
Boswells School in Chelmsford, Essex, has changed the name of its red house from Rowling to Holmes ā honouring Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.
A school newsletter in July 2021 said its six houses are ārepresented by British citizens who have excelledā.
It added: āHowever, following numerous requests by students and staff we are reviewing the name of our red house āRowlingā and in light of JK Rowlingās comments and viewpoints surrounding trans people.
āHer views on this issue do not align with our school policy and school beliefs ā a place where people are free to be.
āStaff have been invited to put forward suggestions of names for the house.
āOnce shortlisted, a vote will go out to the whole school to select a new house name.ā
The newsletter featured an image of the house logo with Rowlingās name erased, and the new name was later revealed.
The other five houses are named after Sir David Attenborough, Charlotte Bronte, John Travers Cornwell VC, Stephen Hawking and Florence Nightingale.
Rowling, the author of the boy wizard books, has become a controversial figure over her comments on gender identity.
In 2020, she responded to an article headlined āCreating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruateā.
She tweeted: āāPeople who menstruate.ā Iām sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?ā
Rowling, who vehemently denies she is transphobic, defended her comments, saying: āIf sex isnāt real, thereās no same-sex attraction.ā
The 56-year-old has said she was partly motivated to speak out about transgender issues because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Stephen Mansell, headteacher of The Boswells School, said: āAt The Boswells School we foster a vibrant, inclusive and democratic school community, where we encourage students to develop into independent, confident citizens.
āIn autumn 2021, we reviewed and renamed one of our school houses following numerous requests from students and staff, as well as a whole school vote.
āThe house, which represents the āself-disciplineā area of the Boswells Learning Bridge, is now named Holmes, after Dame Kelly Holmes.ā