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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

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

52 replies

FluffyMummy123 · 26/05/2008 08:40

Message withdrawn

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

tinkybelle · 26/05/2008 10:01

my dd has been weighed and measured recently - surely if it was high weight you would geta phone call?

shabster · 26/05/2008 10:05

Dont know anybody who has been contacted for overweight or underweight problems!! Really think the whole idea is a waste of money.

MarsLady · 26/05/2008 10:06

Yes!

tinkybelle · 26/05/2008 10:07

is there some new weighing and measuring thing being instigated?

SmugColditz · 26/05/2008 10:08

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.

MrsWeasley · 26/05/2008 10:13

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

bellavita · 26/05/2008 10:15

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

evenhope · 26/05/2008 10:38

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.

twinsplus1 · 26/05/2008 19:06

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.

MrsWeasley · 26/05/2008 19:47

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.

cadelaide · 26/05/2008 19:49

definitely.

Tis nannyism.

Nbg · 26/05/2008 19:50

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 · 26/05/2008 19:52

I might opt out of everything actually.

cory · 26/05/2008 19:53

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.

Hulababy · 26/05/2008 20:01

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.

RustyBear · 26/05/2008 20:02

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.

MrsWeasley · 26/05/2008 20:07

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.

Pickledegg · 26/05/2008 20:20

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

mamamira · 26/05/2008 20:30

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

aintnomountainhighenough · 26/05/2008 21:29

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.

nkf · 26/05/2008 21:30

I'm opting out.

Original poster

FluffyMummy123 · 26/05/2008 21:35

Message withdrawn

OP posts:

CrackerOfNuts · 26/05/2008 21:38

No I won't be opting out.

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

Aero · 26/05/2008 22:56

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?

jellybeans · 27/05/2008 11:20

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.

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