London boys' school ousts sweets and chocolate

Children returning for the new school year at a north London school next week will find that it has become a confectionery-free zone.

Heading for the tuck shop for their mid-morning chocolate fix, they will find only flapjacks, muffins and fruit. Lunchtime menus will also be free from chocolate-based desserts.

Kenneth Durham, headmaster of University College School in Hampstead, a £10,000-a-year boys' public school, said: "We know parents are concerned about their children's diets, and we are reasonably confident that this will meet with the approval of the majority of parents."

Graham Sibthorp, a managing partner of the school's caterer, Brookwood Partnership, said: "I think it's a great statement by the school."