Julie Adebayo
Clinical Team Leader
Children & Families Services
Balham Health Centre
120 Bedford Hill
SW12 9HS
Tel: 0208 812 6214
Mobile: 07717 158 791
October 31, 2014
Dear Parent / Carer,
Measuring the height and weight of children in Reception Year and Year 6
The NHS needs to have a good understanding of how children are growing across the country, so
that the best possible health services can be provided for them. As a result, all children in England in
Reception Year and Year 6 have their height and weight checked each year. This is called the
National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).
Your child’s class will take part in this year’s programme. The measurements will be supervised by
trained staff from Community Services Wandsworth. The measurements will be done in a private
area away from other pupils. Children who take part will be asked to remove their shoes, and will be
weighed in normal indoor clothing. Any cultural needs of the child will be respected.
Once your child has had their height and weight measured, the results will be sent to you through
the post. We strongly encourage you not to share the results with your child, particularly if they are
classified as overweight or very overweight. Instead, please use the information about local sources
of advice and services available which will be sent to you with your child’s results. Should your
child’s measurements fall outside the healthy weight range you will be contacted by a member of the
School Health Team. In some cases, your child’s results may also be sent to your child’s GP so they
may offer additional support. We encourage you to talk to your GP or school nurse if you have any
concerns.
Routine data, such as your child’s name, gender, address, postcode, ethnicity and date of birth, will
also be collected. This information will then be used within the borough to help us understand and
plan interventions for weight-related problems for children in your area. We may store the
information on your child’s health record. No child’s height or weight measurements will be given to
school staff or other children. The records of children’s height and weight will be submitted for
analysis in a way that means your child cannot be directly identified. National and local level
summaries of the data will be published. All information and results will be treated confidentially.
The leaflet sent with this letter provides more information on the National Child Measurement
Programme and why it matters.
Children will not be made to participate if they do not want to. However, we strongly recommend you
to encourage your child to take part so that our information for planning future services and
providing support is as accurate and complete as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Houda Al Sharifi
Director of Public Health
Services
Wandsworth Borough Council
Dawn Warwick
Director of Education and Social
Wandsworth Borough Council
Opting your child out from being weighed and measured
If you are happy for your child to be weighed and measured, you do not need to do anything.
Return this form to the school if you DO NOT want your child to participate.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Form 1: Opt-out slip
I do not wish my child to be weighed and measured for the National Child Measurement
Programme.
Child’s name: ________________________ Year: ______ Class: ___________
Child’s school:
____________________________________________________
Parent’s/carer’s name: ______________________________________________
Parent’s/carer’s signature: ___________________________________________
Please return to: Your child’s school office
Visit www.nhs.uk/change4life for lots of handy hints and tips for a healthy family. You can join
Change4Life for free and be the first to hear about new activities, apps and offers. Register with
Change4Life online or call on 0300 123 1012. When you register you will receive a free Welcome
Pack including colourful charts and stickers, activities, recipes and a handbook full of useful tips.