As you are aware, each year in England, school children in Reception and Year 6 have their height and weight checked at school as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. Height and weight measurements are used to calculate weight status.  We collect this information because it is in the public interest to understand how many children are overweight, healthy weight or underweight. The checks are carried out by the Solihull School Nurse Team and you will have been contacted by them to arrange a date for Reception and Year 6 in your school to have their height and weight measured. Children are measured fully clothed, except for their coats and shoes, in a private space away from other pupils.

As part of the drive to be more streamlined and efficient, the letter informing parents/carers that children will be measured is attached to this edition of Headlines. We would be extremely grateful if you could email this letter to the parents/carers of children in Reception and Year 6.

This letter is extremely important as it informs parents/carers of the height and weight checks and enables them to opt-out of the programme should they wish to.

If you don’t use email as a means to contact parents/carers and wish to have paper copies to distribute to them, please contact edims@solihull.gov.uk

Please also see attached document which is a guide to parents and carers about the heights and weights checks and we would be grateful if this could be emailed out to parents/carers with the letter.