West Hampstead Primary School has officially rebranded at a renaming exhibition and fair.
On Saturday (September 18), the former Beckford Primary School in Dornfell Street held a day of crafts, face-painting and a raffle to mark the occasion with special guest, mayor of Camden Sabrina Francis.
The name change comes following a vote last year, where parents, pupils and staff chose to remove links with former London mayor William Beckford, whose wealth came from the slave trade.
In his speech, headmaster Samuel Drake thanked the school community for their "resilience, positivity and good humour".
He said: "This is a great school. But the Beckford name is not one that sits comfortably with our values.
"West Hampstead is a diverse and multi-cultural community… and our new name is a reflection of that. A name that was chosen by the whole community."
In last year's ballet, one of the options attracting 50% support among staff, but a quarter of parents and pupils, was to rename the school after its former headteacher Beryl Gilroy – one of the first Black principals in the country
Sam added: "Beryl Gilroy, Philip Oakley, Dilys Hoffman, Sam Smith are just some of the great headteachers who have been lucky enough to lead this school. I feel very fortunate to be following in their footsteps."
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