Let them eat cake - but not at St Mary's Lower School, Copford.

The school has banned pupils from bringing in cakes and biscuits for birthday celebrations, due to fears over children with allergies.

School principal Hilary Vipond said: "For a variety of reasons, St Mary's Lower School no longer accepts cake into the classrooms.

"We have a number of girls with food allergies as well as a healthy eating policy.

"Our parents have been supportive of this move and in the future we will celebrate all birthdays in assembly."

However, it is not a move backed by other Colchester schools.

Colchester Royal Grammar School has vowed to continue to encourage parents to bring in cakes to celebrate children's birthdays.

School spokesman David Wood said: "We encourage children to celebrate their birthdays because it encourages them to share.

"Parents are asked not to bring in cakes containing chocolate and nuts, but for anyone with an allergy we always offer fruit.

"Even though the school practises healthy eating throughout the year, birthdays are a time to celebrate."

David Young, headmaster of Myland Primary School, Mile End, would never ban cakes, in fact he thought they were compulsory.

He said: "Here we have chocolate cake, coffee cake and fruit cake.

"It is like the whole of life, a little bit of what you feel like does you good."

Essex County Council said: "It is down to individual schools to instigate such measures as they see fit."