If you have a child in Reception or Year 6 and have just received a letter about weighing them, what do you intend to do?

[nkf]

Agree or not? Ask for results or not?

Ds is in reception but he was weighed at the beginning of the school yr.
I can't remember getting a letter but i must have.
I don't have a problem with them weighing him at all though and wouldn't be interested in the results really as I roughly know what he weighs from bathroom scales.

We all had a form from the HCP giving weight and height. No problem with them being weighed .

I think the local Health Service, who carried out the measurements used the data but did not identify individuals.

I was up in arms earlier this year when they weighed and measured my DS4 (10 yrs) I have been overweight for ages and my DS tends to be a bit pudgy around his middle. Although I couldn't care less what other people think of me I didn't want my son made to feel small.

At home I made a massive 'song and dance' about it and filled in the form saying basically 'dont even think about it'.

At the end of the school day my son came out and I said 'what happened with the weighing thing' he just said 'I went anyway, you make too much out of some stuff mum!!'

Very funny Shabster.

Ta nkf - as for the recent sex education classes - well thats a whole new thread!!!....

No problem here. Know roughly what dd weighs, where that places her centile-wise, and she's not overweight.
I think provided they can be trusted with the data it's a good project. You keep hearing that a huge percentage of children are obese, but I don't see that reflected locally (unlike adults hereabouts, self included
Shabster's point about older children's awareness of the reasons for being weighed is a valid one though. Tbh I'd have started with Reception this year, and weighed the cohort annually so that by Yr6 they were used to the process.

marina - the part you mentioned about them being trusted with the data - that is a scary part really as well. My local health authority 'cant find' several important parts of my medical history - including me having my twins. Although that was 26 years ago I am now having problems blood pressure wise that my doctor says will be directly linked to having pre eclampsia with them!!

Really agree with your idea of doing it each year - the year 6 children were quite worried about it - especially the overweight and the underweight.

My dd was part of this scheme a couple of years ago (she was in Reception then and is currently in Yr2)

I didn't mind at all. We weren't given the option of seeing the results iirc.

It's not exactly a new idea anyway.

haven't had a letter but would be happy to help in study looking at obesity in kids - though i reckon dd2 is just about spot on centile wise. hackney (we're on the border) and wakefield apparently have the highest rates of obese 5 yr olds in the UK

shabster, i didn't give my notes back to my midwife until i'd photocpied them

We had one of these when my dd was in year 6.

She is a slim healthy child but was mortified at the thought of being weighed at school.

There didn't seem to be anything to gain from having it done -all it would have done was make her anxious.

I simply refused permission. No big deal.

i remember having this done at secondary school, i remember the slightly chubby children being upset by it, and i used to hate it to, i have always been underweight and it used to prompt a lot of questions do you eat, do you make yourself sick etc etc. hich i dont i eat mroe than most people i know. i think that they are doing it to try and help those that are overwieght to prevent from obesity, but i think doing it in school is not the best way to go as it can cause anxiety for children who are at either end of the scale

i refused permission, and sent in details of his height and weight as done at the asthma clinic.

i refused too. DD really embarassed although nothing wrong with her weight, just that she is tall and thought her peers may piack up on the fact that she is heavier. Not starting any of that old hookum at the age of 10, there is enough pressure on teens to be one size or other, and who really knows what they do with the data?!

My yr6 ds was weighed - he is underweight if anything. But overweight kids had a letter sent home with them giving healthy eating tips! Signed by the deputy head, who is not sylph-like herself.

If I'd got one of those letters I'd have sent it beck to her with her name all over it.

My dd is in reception. I gave permission because they were using the results as part of a survey about childhood obesity. They were going to be done in a room by themselves and dd wouldn't think anything of it.

I had this last year with DS and yr before with DD.I sent the letter back saying definately not to be weighed in school. DD's teacher tried to insist she was weighed (to DD on the day) but I had discussed this with both children and she stood her ground, teacher said she would check with the head obviously went out saw letter and didnt say another word.

My DD was very self consious about her size and so I didnt want the comparisons that would have taken place.

Also I am perfectly aware if my child is over or under weighted and them being given a label just isnt required.

It's an issue I am adamant about.

My dd was weighed in year 6 as part of a data collection exercise. The only person who knew what she weighed was the nurse doing weighing, neither she nor her class mates were told what they or anyone else weighed. Can't see a problem, myself.

Thats great but in our school it was done with the class queued up behind.
Everyone was told their weight and it was written on a sheet so you could see everyones if you looked.

were they measured (height) as well? Our neighbour's child is 5ft 4, the other neighbours child is about 4ft. They are both yr6. They will be vastly differing weights, but normal for size.

The answers on this thread are very interesting. Don't you think they say more about your (mums) hang ups about weight than the kids???

Why would a child feel 'anxious' unless they saw weight to be an anxiety laden thing. As parents we should be doing our best to make this 'no big deal.'

my dd has no idea what a 'diet' and her weight being higher or lower than her friends would mean nothing to her! what has she got to be worried about!!!

er, at 11 years old, I had a very clear idea about how much I weighed in comparison to my friends, and it was already fairly clear that thin = attractive.

No Microwave - we are supposed to conform to 'government' guidelines as to height, weight, health etc. From birth the babies are weighed and measured so that any deviation can be ironed out.

My ds1 was not following the recommended percentiles, so I was made to feel like an incompetant mother, and told to attend clinic everyweek, instead of once a month. After about 3 months, i was told that he was just one of those kids who didn't grow at the same rate as everyone else, and there is nothing 'they' can do about that - i was to go away. By this stage I was seriously stressed about his eating (or otherwise) and it's been a point of contention ever since. (he's now 15).

fully agree theantiflounce, All children seem to be very aware of weight issues and dieting, and the more the schools make a deal out of wanting to weigh and measure, the more hang ups the children will have. Dead against it no matter what size.

Dd (7 yo) is part of an ongoing survey "Child of the New Century" and has been recently been weighed, height taken and body fat calculated. Problem is the guy said they didn't have any guidelines for body fat in children so were using adult stats . Not ideal imho. I really don't mind her being checked (obviously as I agrred to it all) but will the results mean that although the child looks fine parents will start to think they're overweight and cut out essentials in their diets. Dd's body fat was 20.1% and she's skinny and tall.