Stop measuring the height and weight of children in primary school

Children in Reception and Year 6 currently have their height and weight recorded by school nurses to check whether their BMI is over or under weight. They then receive a letter home for additional help with this. I believe this scheme is detrimental to children’s mental health.

Children’s health has to do with more than their BMI. Weighing children at 4/5 can instill into them a belief that their weight is important NOT their health. Children at 11/12 are far more aware and can discuss their results with their peers, which can perpetuate the problem further. I believe this scheme does more harm than good.

Given the impact the pandemic has had on children’s health, action needs to be taken to protect the mental health of children.

The school height and weight measuring programme, known as the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a statutory public health function for local authorities. It began in 2006 and generates official statistics to monitor the health status of children.

The NCMP measures the height and weight of over a million children every year. Data reports on patterns and trends including underweight, healthy weight, overweight and very overweight; based on age and sex. The data is used to measure progress on the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan, which aims to significantly reduce the impact deprivation can have on health and wellbeing. The data is also used by local councils and the National Health Service to help plan better services to support parents and families to improve children’s health. National and local data can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-child-measurement-programme and here https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme.

The wellbeing of children and families is vital. Measurements are conducted in a sensitive way, in private and away from other children. The weight and height information is shared with the parent or carer in a feedback letter. No individual information is shared with the children themselves, the teachers or the school. It is a parent’s choice if they share the information with their child. If a parent is concerned about their child’s growth, weight, body image or eating patterns NCMP feedback letters provide national and local information to support parents and advise on when to seek further support from a school nurse or General Practitioner. Parents react differently to receiving their child’s NCMP feedback, so guidance is available to help school nursing teams and NCMP delivery staff have supportive conversations with parents about the NCMP and their child’s health and growth. The NCMP conversation framework for talking to parents can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-child-measurement-programme-conversation-framework.