Height & Weight Checks (F2 & Y6 Pupils)

Height and weight checks of Reception and Year 6 children as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

Derbyshire County Council, Live Life Better Derbyshire has recently taken over the delivery of the National Child Measurement Programme.  All parents/carers of children in Reception (F2) and Year 6 will receive a letter sent to their home address which will give a full explanation of the programme with contact details for any queries.

The importance of healthy weight in children

A child’s weight status affects their health and wellbeing. Growing healthily and maintaining a healthy weight is important not only for a child’s physical, social and mental wellbeing but also for their capacity to do well at school.  The new health education curriculum can support schools with teaching pupils how to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing: a statutory duty that Ofsted inspectors evaluate.

^{A video explaining the purpose of the NCMP for parents/carers is available on the Live Life Better Derbyshire website www.livelifebetterderbyshire.org.uk/healthyfamilies.}

NCMP and the General Data Protection Regulation /Data Protection Act 2018: advice for schools / parents

All local authorities in England are required to collect information on the height and weight of Reception and Year 6 school children. This legal duty means that parental consent is not needed for schools to lawfully use and share children’s personal information for the NCMP under the GDPR and DPA 2018. Parents are given the opportunity to exclude their child from the measurement programme in the letter which will be sent to their home address.  Schools can lawfully provide class lists to the screening team and other providers undertaking the measurements on behalf of the local authority.

Further information about the programme, is available in the NCMP Information for Schools document.

If parents have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Live Life Better Derbyshire Hub team on 0800 085 2299, and ask for Caroline Mackie or Trudie Brown.

Resources to encourage healthy eating and physical activity

• Live Life Better Derbyshire offers help on a wide range of topics including weight management and advice on how to get more active https://www.livelifebetterderbyshire.org.uk/home.aspx including a healthy families element https://www.livelifebetterderbyshire.org.uk/services/family-health/healthy-families.aspx

• 'Our Healthy Year’ resources to help encourage healthy habits during a child’s first year at school and to help older kids build on the habits they need for secondary school and for life: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools/topics/our-healthy-year/overview

• School Zone offers curriculum-linked resources and inspiration to help teach children about healthy eating and being active: www.nhs.uk/c4lschools

Resources to encourage physical activity

• Change4Life Sports Clubs which can help contribute to all children getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity in every school day: www.yourschoolgames.com/how-it-works/change4life/
• School Games. Inspiring millions of young people across the country to take part in appropriate competitive school sport. www.yourschoolgames.com/