A row has erupted between residents of Barton, in Oxford, and teachers over the new name of the area's only remaining school.

Barton First School and Bayswater Middle School are to be merged as part of the schools re-organisation, and pupils and teachers have voted to call the new school Baynards Hill Primary School.

The decision has upset members of Barton Community Association who want Barton to be incorporated in the new school name.

Sue Holden, secretary of the association, accused the school of manipulating pupils in the vote and failing to consult residents of the area.

She said: "There's a lot of bad feeling because we weren't consulted.

"You can get a class of six and seven-year-olds to vote how you want, and they manipulated the children.

"Why can't we have something that reflects the school is in Barton?

"It's part of the community, but no-one can relate to Baynards Hill."

The name Baynards Hill was chosen in a poll of about 450 pupils and their parents from 20 names.

It comes from the name of a Roman road that used to run through the area.

Ron Holland, headteacher of the two closing schools and the new school, which will open in September, said residents of Barton had shown little interest in school affairs in the past.

"No parents turned up for the AGM," he said.

"I've asked members of the community association to join the governing body and they've regularly declined.

"They don't like change and only seem to get involved when they are upset about something.

"As far as I'm concerned, Baynards Hill it is and that's the end of it."

Mr Holland will attend a Barton Community Association meeting on January 9 at Barton Community Centre, Underhill Circus, at 7pm.