Parents have hit out at an Oxford primary school after children's lunchboxes were raided by teachers and chocolate and crisps confiscated.

Keith Ponsford, headteacher of Bayards Hill Primary School in Barton, said staff had been "a bit vigorous" in cracking down on unhealthy snacks and dismissed the idea of a complete junkfood ban as "too 1984".

The school is working towards Healthy Schools status and wrote to parents at the end of last term urging them not to send their children in with chocolate and crisps.

Children's lunchboxes were inspected when they returned to school this week and all offending snacks confiscated until the end of the day.

The lunch of Christopher Cummins, aged seven, fell foul of the new regime, much to the anger of his mother, Debbie.

She was among a group of about 20 parents who marched to the school yesterday to challenge staff about the move.

The 43-year-old mum, of Claymond Road, Barton, who also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lucy, said: "I've got no problem with healthy eating I've got a problem with schools and the Government telling me what to do.

"Christopher's packed lunch contained a sandwich, fruit juice, a yoghurt, a packet of crisps and a chocolate biscuit.

"Normally I give them a mixed salad with apples, oranges, grapes and pear.

"What made me angry was that the school canteen actually served pizza and chips the same day it was taking packets of crisps off children. So it's one rule for hot and one for cold?

"How long until they start telling us what to give them at home? Where are they going to draw the line about how we bring up our own children?"

Sheila Masterson, 58, whose eight-year-old grand-daughter Chelsea Lee, had her chocolate biscuits removed, said: "I don't think they should be allowed to tell us what to put in packed lunches. They just took the food out of the lunchboxes a lot of the children were in tears."

Mr Ponsford said improvements were being made to the hot food menu and chips were served no more than twice a week.

He said: "What's happened is that one or two of our staff have been a bit vigorous, taking out crisps and chocolate and giving them back at the end of the day.

"I think strong encouragement is as far as we can go. Some schools ban junk food altogether but I have my doubts about that it smacks too much of 1984."

Assistant head Elma Cameron is coordinating the health drive and said the school would hold workshops with parents to help them improve their children's health.