will you be opting out of havng your kid weighed and measurd?

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[Birdly]

This thread has caused me to recall my own childhood - yes, I was a fat child.

I remember a nurse turning up at our house one day, with no appointment or prior notice, and telling my mum I was overweight and would have to go on a diet. I think it was early on in secondary school. I had to see a dietician every month (I think) for ages - until taking time off school for appointments started to impinge on my work.

I had to take my own lunch into school and was pretty much ridiculed by all around me. It seemed that being a fat kid on a diet was even funnier than just being a fat kid.

I lost weight, put up with a lot of teasing and unhappiness, then put all the bloody weight back on again. It was stressful, humiliating and utterly pointless.

My DD starts school in September. To read that she might be labelled too fat, too thin etc at this age makes me want to scream. And no, she's not overweight.

[RustyBear]

I've never heard of them weighing children in a maths class, at least in Junior school. It's quite common to measure children when they are doing data gathering - in year 3 at our school they take various measurements & look at the relationships between them - did you know that for most people, their height is the same as the span of their outstretched arms?

[jellybeans]

Yes I opted out and felt strongly about it. I read somewhere that sometimes they try to still get the weight/height under the guise of a maths class (from those who opted out) so i have told DD NOT to be weighed in any situation! My reasons for opting out are...DD didn't want to do it, I disagree with the nanny state and intrusion into private affairs, I don't see the point in it, we know if our kids are overweight, i think it is unfair on the larger children, i think it encourages weight awareness and obsession (DD weighed herself when she came home with the letter) and I distrust the government in storing and keeping the info confidential.

[Aero]

Am I missing something? I've not had any notification that they have been/will be weighed and measured. Is this just for reception children, or all children? I would indeed opt out as I think it would be damaging to dd who is very self conscious already at age 7. She is tall and has a little tummy which she hates as lots of her friends are very thin.

She has been the same shape all her life and eats healthily in general. I am careful to control as far as I can what she eats and that she has plenty of regular exercise. I can educate her about a healthy lifestyle myself and they teach it at school. I don't think weighing and measuring them is school business tbh. That happens at hospital visits etc and she's never been overweight for her height. She just hates her natural shape. how do I opt out of something I know nothing about?

[CrackerOfNuts]

No I won't be opting out.

I would if one of my kids didn't want it done though.

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[nkf]

I'm opting out.

[aintnomountainhighenough]

I have opted out already and no my children aren't overweight I just don't think it is any business of the school or the government what my children weigh. I can see if there is a problem and deal with it. I send them to school to be educated when they can provide me with a decent school for my children I might be a bit more accomodating to their information gathering if they explain why they are doing it and how they are going to help promote healthy living in schools. But whilst they insist on policies that are destroying family life and refused to promote sport and healthy eating in schools they can bog off.

[mamamira]

yes, it'll be the heavy children who opt out, more than likely

[Pickledegg]

THey DO do something with the figures though - they are sent to the NHS who analyse them to find the areas where there are higher than average numbers of overweight children.

THen funding is given to schools / clubs in that area to encourage kids to do more exercise (ie. for after-school sports clubs, for sport equipment) and to eat well. Also in trying to educate parents ( through sure start centres etc).

Some Primary CAre Trusts have targets to meet to try to reduce numbers of overweight children in their area (or at least trying to slow down the increasing childhood obesity problem).

I know this cos I'm the person who's going to be analysing the figures in my area

[MrsWeasley]

oh thats the right way to do it Rustybear, at Dc's school the pupils formed a line and walked a few steps ahead to the nurse, weight got recorded on a sheet, next pupils please, etc
Anyone could look down the list and see everyones details.

[RustyBear]

They did this about three weeks ago at the school I work at - as I was working in the office I know there were 3 opt-outs, one of whom is very obviously the heaviest child in the year, the other two look about average. All the children were called to the medical room, so the other children in the class didn't know who hadn't been measured unless those children chose to say.

No-one at the school was told the data - the nurses doing it deliberately hid the wieghts/heights from the children and in fact the parents had to specifically fill in a form if they wanted to know them - and only about 10 out of the 54 in the year bothered.

[Hulababy]

We were sent a letter from school/nurse (?) in advance with the option to opt out or be present. DD just had it done at school. I didn't object.

[cory]

No, can't be bothered. When I signed up with my GP they weighed and measured me; I felt that was quite a reasonable thing to do. Dd is weighed and measured every time she has a hospital appointment - which is frequently. I grew up in Sweden where annual weighing and measuring of all children was part of the school nurse's duties. Weight is just not a big deal to us.

[cadelaide]

I might opt out of everything actually.

[Nbg]

What all this about weighing etc?
Is this a reception thing?

DD is starting in Sept so will I have this to deal with?

[cadelaide]

definitely.

Tis nannyism.

[MrsWeasley]

thats the opposite in our school.
In my DC's year it is not the overweight ones that opt out anything but.
Its funny how it works out isnt it.

[twinsplus1]

As a teacher of year 6 I have noticed that it is the children who are overweight who don't get weighed and measured, therefore rendering completely pointless the whole exercise... unless the government want to show there is not an obesity problem!

Can't see the point of it, nothing is done about any children with a 'problem' so it is another complete waste of money.

[evenhope]

As my DS1 had growth problems it was really useful that the school nurse system had a record of his previous growth because it meant they could do something about it.

[bellavita]

DS1 made up his own mind that he did not want to be weighed and measured.

[MrsWeasley]

I opted out with my DD 2 years ago and with my DS this year and will be opting out with the other two DC.

Weighing them in school is totally pointless IMHO.

My DD at 11 was very obsessed about being overweight (she isnt in fact if anything she would be the opposite but who know how the brain of an 11 year old works, blardy hormones)

I am perfectly capable of knowing if my children are over or under weight.

Rant over

[SmugColditz]

I opted out, I know in theory it's all done in private and the information is kept confidential, but in my dealings with nurses I have found this to be absolute bullshit and they may have no qualms in showing anyone who asks the results!

My son gets enough bull about healthy eating from the school nurse "Sugar is baaaaaaad, clean your plate and you'll get pudding (a biscuit) and a sticker, baaaahhhhhh" without him making the connection between what he eats and what he weighs before he is mature enough to deal with the information.

[tinkybelle]

is there some new weighing and measuring thing being instigated?

[MarsLady]

Yes!