to not want my child weighed

[moogster1a]

My ds has received a leaflet about the weighing of reception age kids in order to ascertain just how many Greggs sausage rolls are eaten in the neighbourhood. ( healthy child programme)
I didn't object too much to this although I think it's a huge waste of money and time as fat kids' parents will get a letter telling them their kid is fat and I fail to see where they will go from there. but, thats by the by.
the consent form states " If you do not return a completed consent form your child's vision and hearing will not be checked but we will still weigh and measure your child".
Does this mean there is no opt out?
Do all schools do this? It's getting me more and more annoyed that we are living in such a nany state. I would rather schools cocentrated on teaching my child how to read ad write rather than attempting to do the full pareting job icludig deciding how fat he can be. ( by the way, he's a skiny runt so I'm ot objecting because I think we'll be haued in frot of the lard police and told to empty our cupboards of everything but rye bread).
in fact, I lied earlier, I do object in principle to the whole scheme. What a waste of money.

I think if bullies are going to pick on a kid for being fat, they will know this via looking at them, as opposed to...I don't know, were you suggesting they might break into the files of measurements in the school office?

Many people are deluded about their children and need someone else to tell them the truth for their own good. On another forum I remember a woman all irate at getting one of these letters saying her child was obese and needed a referral to whoever it was, and to prove how wrong it was she put her childs picture up. Her really obviously to anyone else most definitely overweight child. And she still wouldn't have it.

Hunty a recent thread on MN was about a mum upset that her DD needed glasses age 9
Worried about bullying and attractiveness stakes.
I was totally that she hadn't taken her to an optician ever!
My DD goes every year since aged 3 but that's because DH is blind as a bat

Stoirin Wish I'd seen that one!

I'm not complaining about it, I just find it a bit that there is anyone who doesn't have the sense to take their dc to the opticians before they start school. I did it when DD went to reception - I was 20. I had DD at 16yo. I had left school with no qualifications - yet I still knew to take DD to the opticians before she started school?

I'm that it is necessary to do eye tests in school when the parents should be taking their dc to the opticians! I don't think it's a bad thing, just can't believe that it is a service that is needed to be offered?!

Shit this has just made me realise I've never taken mine to the opticians . Oldest is 5. Is that really bad? Remembered the dentist and all the things for her health issues and being underweight and completely missed out that one!

Mayday some people rely on school for everything. It seems to me that people are happy to expect the school to provide education, childcare,social opportunities but God forbid they should try to have a say in ANYTHING else.

Well there you go HuntyCat You've just found someone.

I opted out.

Hunty I just find it a bit that there is anyone who doesn't have the sense to take their dc to the opticians before they start school

But I find it a bit that anyone would think it were a bad idea for eye tests to be done in schools.

Why Booty?

And then you come out and return to the class and everyone is sniggering behind your back and asking if you broke the scales, then stealing your hat in the playground and throwing it around 'cos fatties need to run around more'. Then parents are talking about it in the playground at collection/drop off and you are being pointed at and talked about and made to feel like shit. Not forgetting the staff examining the contents to your lunch box and quizzing you on why you don't have any fruit or yogurt.

Hunty you surely do not imagine that ALL parents are capable of making appointments and thinking ahead about things? Not everyone has the same coping skills....

I guess I just wonder why so much time has to be taken up weighing everyone, checking everyones sight when the ones that don't need it, don't need it and the ones that do need it will ignore it.

My dd doesn't need eye or hearing tests because that is my job to sort out. She doesn't need to be weighed because she is fit as fuck.

If the process worked ifoverweight children were better supported by every child being weighed, then I would be right in there. But it smacks to me of collecting data so someone can tick a box and leas and govts can talk about public health initiatives and child obesity programmes.

Seriously. Save the money. Save some playing fields. Pay some pe teachers.
I bet that would represent better value for money.

kladdkaka if those things happened to you then that is very, very sad. But overweght childen need help to lose weight...and if their parents are not providing this, then schools have to.

YABU. It is useful for the government to have accurate stats on how many dcs are overweight/obese and if there any trends by region or over time.

There are a lot more people suffering medically from being fat than suffering psychologically from thinking they are fat and the chances of a person developing an eating disorder from being weighed twice in childhood is slim.

OP your opening post is so flippant, ignorant (sorry) and misinformed, I don't know where to begin.

If you spent the few minutes looking this subject up on the internet that you spent typing your OP, you'd understand why the Government need these statistics.

You may fail to see where the parents of 'fat kids' will 'go from there', but have you not considered that the Government needs to be able to plot the rise in obesity in order to know how to tackle it and more importantly how many billions they are going to need to deal with it?

But Pag that's YOU and YOUR DC. What about those who SAY "My child is fine" and they're not...they're not fine at all. What about those kids?

If a child is in a bad way then SS will intervene.

Pag has said it all.

No she hasnt boot she's said that HER DC are fine so that's that.

Agree, Pag. I don't think it's that eye tests are done in schools - just surprised that it's necessary. OK, I obviously have now found out that it doesn't occur to everyone - but why is it the school's job to do that? They are my dc, I am capable of booking these appointments for them. DS3 (7.5mo) has his first dental appointment next week - he has teeth now, so it is important to get him used to going to the dentist. Optician is no different. As soon as he knows his colours, my optician can do an eye test.

I agree Mumbling. There have been several photos of fat kids with arms folded in the papers in recent years with articles along the lines of 'how dare the school say my child is fat!'. when said child is very obviously well covered.

My dc weight is fine so they don't need to be weighed.

I just think this is a particularly nsty form of "I'm all right Jackism" Of course all good mumsnetters take their children for eye tests and so on. But lots of parents don't. And surely it's worth a mumsnetters child having an "unnecessary" health check so that another child's need for glasses is picked up? Or do we just pull up the drawbridge and devil take the hindmost?

Sigh. Hunty Can't you understand that there are parents who are seriously lax in may ways....they may not be abusive but they are neglectful..this is the way society is. If you choose to have your child educated by the state then this kind of thing will crop up.

Private schools don't do any of it. My child is in a state school....I accept that in using free education then my DC will be subjected to certain checks.

That's a good way of putting it seeker it surprises me that people are so self congratulatory. Plus....as someone else said, many people are deluded about their kids and ossible don't want a wake up call.