London: A special school in the UK called 'The Isis Academy' has been forced to change its name after jibes about pupils being trained as 'terrorists'. The school in Oxford was named three years ago after part of the River Thames which flows nearby and is known as 'The Isis'.
However, the academy has now been renamed as 'The Iffley Academy' to avoid confusion with the dreaded Islamic State militant group, following a series of "negative comments" online, the Daily Express reported.
Head teacher Kay Willett decided to change the name after being asked if they were training the children to be terrorists and photos of pupils and terrorists appeared when she searched the school online, the report said.
"We had negative comments from the wider community such as contractors and people who were coming to do work for us. You would give the address out on the phone and when you said 'Isis' the person would pause and say 'oh'," she said. "Anybody who did not know the nature of the school would make comments like 'are you training the children to be terrorists?'"
The 132-pupil special school, where students have a range of disabilities and mental health needs, was known as Iffley Mead School until it became an academy three years ago. "Many of our students aged 10 to 18 have autism and mental health needs and they rely on us to give out positive messages about life. When we told them why the name was going to change they were happy with that," she added.
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