A NUT-free school near Oxford has banned certain bottles of sunscreen for the sake of children’s safety.

Dr South’s CE Primary School in Islip said some sun cream is a risk to pupils who suffer serious nut allergies, and urged families not to bring it in until they determine which brands are safe.

In a newsletter published on Friday, it said any kind of sun cream could be applied at home, but sun creams brought into school must be those without nut derivatives.

Some creams and cosmetics contain chemicals derived from nuts and coconuts.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign, a charity that supports people with allergies, advises allergy sufferers to check ingredients before using cosmetics.

It has previously published a list of chemicals to avoid and said these are usually named in Latin - including arachis hypogaea (peanut oil) and bertholletia excelsa (brazil nut).

The UK charity estimates that one in 70 children nationwide is allergic to peanuts.

The extract about sunscreen from Dr South’s newsletter stated: “As you are aware, we have children in school who are highly allergic to some nut products.

“Thank you for your support in not sending in sun creams while we establish what products are safe.

“At times of significant sun, please apply sun cream (of any sort) at home before your child comes to school.

“If you wish your child to have their own sun cream at school, it is acceptable for them to bring some (in a labelled bottle) to school.

“Please use products from the SunSense range as these do not have nut derivatives.”

For the list of ingredients to avoid, see anaphylaxis.org.uk/our-factsheets, and find 'cosmetics'.