Campaigners who tried to stop a primary school becoming an academy are angry at its sudden name change.

Earlier this month it was announced Downhills Primary, in Phillip Lane, Tottenham, will become an academy, run by the Harris Federation, after the campaigners lost their legal fight to try to stop the forced change.

Now people living near the school have been left heartbroken by the announcement the school will now be called Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane.

Jonathan Maris, who lives near the school, said: “Local people are really upset about this corporate branding.

“It’s disgusting that an academy chain with no links to the local area thinks it can rub out two centuries of history just because they want to.

The name Downhills came from the stately home which was built on the site in the 18th century which is also a name given to streets, a nearby park and the school for 125 years.

Mr Maris added: “The new school logo is also awful. I helped design the Downhills one, which pictured a group of children holding hands around an open book. This summed up the school for me.

“The new one just seems to say 'Harris’ and it looks as though no thought went into it at all. It is another thing that Harris went back on their word about consulting with parents about."

Members of the campaign Save Downhills say they were promised by the Federation  any change of name would be discussed, but the group say they have not been consulted.

“The DfE have behaved like bullies and treated the local community with contempt and it’s heartbreaking that Harris are behaving in the same way," said Mr Maris.

“No-one can just rub out history like that. For those of us who live, work and study here, it will always be Downhills.”

A spokeswoman for the Harris Federation said: “The new name represents the street the Academy is located on and was chosen to reflect its place at the heart of the community.”

She added that many schools get new names when they join the federation.

The school will be run by the Harris Federation, which runs 12 other academies which are sponsored by Conservative peer Lord Harris.