Reinstating the original school crest
Mac Brackstone and Linda Brackstone, Eastfield Road, Pickering
In spring 2021 the Coast and Vale Learning Trust (based at Scalby School, Scarborough) took control of Lady Lumley’s School, Pickering (originally founded in 1657 using funds provided by Lady Lumley to educate local children).
The CEO, Mr Crosby, stated that at that point, Lady Lumley’s School “ceased to exist and a new institution was formed.”
However, the Trust Board made a commitment “to respect the heritage of the school".
Subsequently, in a very short time, the CEO imposed a new school crest; 75 years of the school’s history and identity was erased.
The centrepiece of the original crest was the Lumley Coat of Arms, entrusted to the school in 1946 by Earl Scarborough to memorialise its founder. Without seeking permission, it was replaced with the Trust’s ‘modernised’ version which promotes the Trust’s educational message, instead of celebrating the school’s founder.
The prestigious College of Arms informed us that the Trust’s version “means that it is no longer the Coat of Arms of Lady Lumley”.
Legally, the Trust is entitled to change things but it has shown a total lack of sensitivity to the heritage of the school, the Lumley family and the community it is supposed to serve.
If you think the original Lady Lumley’s crest should be reinstated, please write to Ms Foden, Headteacher at Lady Lumley’s School, and Mr Cannon, Chair of the Trust Board and Mr Crosby (both c/o Scalby School). In addition, you can sign an online petition.
The centrepiece of the original crest was the Lumley Coat of Arms