The NCMP:

Making an Informed Decision

The National child measurement programme (NCMP) sees children in reception and year 6 in state-funded schools in england measured for their height and weight.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a government mandated programme which local authorities are required to participate in.

It impacts children in state-funded schools who are in Reception and Year 6. The data collected is used to measure trends in body size in children and inform public health policy and strategy.

There is not universal agreement on the impact of weighing children in schools. Many researchers and health practitioners are concerned that weighing children in school can disrupt body esteem which, in turn, can lead to negative health outcomes for children and young people. There are also concerns more generally that the practise perpetuates weight stigma, which is independently bad for health.

With this in mind, we’ve created this short resource to help you make an informed decision about whether to opt your child out or not. It’s really important to know that unless you actively opt out, your child will be weighed and measured (your explicit consent is not required for their inclusion in the programme).

Only you know what is best for your child, but in order to make an informed decision it’s important to consider all perspectives.

For a more comprehensive exploration of some of the concerns around the programme, we recommend looking up the work of the charity AnyBody UK and (an NCMP Info Pack can be found on their website), and reading the body image inquiry published by The Women and Equalities Committee in 2021 which made explicit reference to the NCMP.