OPENING the letter her daughter Lilly brought home from school, Gemma Ranson felt a ripple of shock.
Her sporty 12-year-old, who models for brands such as Next, Joules and Argos, had been declared “overweight” by the Government.
Unbeknown to Gemma, Lilly had been put on a set of scales at school last year, aged 11.
“The letter said her body mass index (BMI) was in the 94 percentile, meaning she was ‘overweight’,” says former carer Gemma, “I was mortified. Lilly clearly wasn’t obese.”
Gemma — who is also mum to Teddy, 14, and Ruby, three — spoke out as stats released yesterday by the National Child Measurement
‘It was humiliating’
Programme revealed 9.6 per cent of kids starting school aged four and five are obese — up from 9.2 per cent in 2022/2023.
Meanwhile, 22 per cent of ten and 11-year-olds were put in the same weight category — a dip from the previous recorded 22.7 per cent.
According to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, this is “unacceptably high”.
But worried mums say the letters do more harm than good, with one finding her seven-year-old daughter standing on the bathroom scales after reading the warning herself.
The weigh-ins generally take place early in the school year and parents can opt out. But many claim they were unaware of the scheme.
“I was raging,” says Gemma, from Braintree, Essex. “Lilly, who ate healthily and did loads of exercise, had been given a label that made no sense. It was horrific.
“My slim daughter had been fat-shamed by the Government. It was humiliating for her and I felt I was being parent-shamed.
“The letter felt like a death sentence. To tell an in-demand child model she is overweight when she is clearly not is insanity. The system is broken.
“In my opinion, the measurements push children towards developing an eating disorder.
“It can have a negative impact on their mental health and make them the target of teasing and bullying.”
The letter asked Gemma, who is married to carpenter Gary, to contact the Essex Wellbeing Service helpline and participate in support programmes, which she did.
“I worried I’d be targeted as a bad parent if I didn’t call,” she says.
“The person who answered said Lilly and I needed to attend a six-week programme to learn about portion sizes and changing her diet.”
My slim daughter had been fat-shamed by the government. It was humiliating for her and I felt I was being parent-shamed
Gemma Ranson
Gemma says she was “hounded” by weekly texts telling her to weigh Lilly.
“This had a devastating toll on her,” she says. “Her self-esteem plummeted and she started to worry about everything she ate.”
Gemma believes the use of BMI— which measures height against weight — is why Lilly “failed”, adding: “It doesn’t take into account bone density, height, early puberty or muscle mass. It means slim children who are disproportionately short or tall, or have started puberty earlier, are fat-shamed.
“I do not want any more children to suffer like my child did. It is time to end the madness.”
Franchise boss Lauren Ormesher, from Skelmersdale, Lancs, was horrified when her daughter Maggie, seven, was labelled overweight two years ago.
The 35-year-old, who is also mum to Molly, five, and married to events medic Ben, 24, said: “Maggie is a pageant star competing in the petite category and is healthy and slim.
Her self-esteem plummeted and she started to worry about everything she ate
Gemma Ranson
“This national weigh-in is scarring our children and fails to consider genetics, exercise patterns, eating habits or lifestyles.
“Maggie read the letter and became paranoid about what she ate. I found her weighing herself in the bathroom. It broke my heart.
“We are told social media is putting our kids in danger. These letters are having a worse effect.”
Lauren was so outraged by the move that she launched the Bye Bye BMI campaign, to urge the use of different calculation methods.
“It is time to stop using BMI,” she says. “The results do not combat obesity. They cause weight-related issues in slim and normal kids.”
Teacher Stuetina Avery Hawkins was heartbroken when her football-mad eight-year-old, Sienna, was labelled “obese”.
The mum, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, who also has kids Miyla, 16, and twins Fin and Wyatt, four, says: “When Sienna handed me a letter, I thought it would be about an after-school club.
“Instead, it said she was ‘obese’, and Sienna had read it.
“Now she thinks she is fat and talks about dieting.”
Eating disorder charity Beat is warning parents about the school weigh-ins.
A spokesman said: “With record numbers of children and young people seeking treatment for eating disorders, and waiting times at unprecedented lengths, continuing the National Child Measurement Programme is a misguided approach.
“Research shows it has minimal impact on reducing obesity, yet it may contribute to an unhealthy relationship with food, damaged self-esteem and disordered eating.
I do not want any more children to suffer like my child did. It is time to end the madness
Gemma Ranson
“We’d advise parents to consider whether participating in the programme is right for their child.”
But Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Children and Young People, warned: “Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life — it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a health timebomb for the future, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and other illnesses.”
The NHS spends some £6.5billion a year treating obesity-related issues in England and has a range of services to support families.
This includes 30 specialist clinics, which treat thousands of two to 18-year-olds with health complications linked to severe obesity.
Essex County Council said they want to help children “thrive”, adding: “All parents have the option to opt out of the NHS National Child Measurement Programme.”
Lancashire County and Milton Keynes councils did not comment by the time of going to press.
IT’S NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL
SENIOR Fabulous writer and mum of two Alex Lloyd says most parents are well aware of childhood obesity risks – and government “shaming” letters do not help.
She says of the weigh-ins: They use a flawed and rudimentary measure to pick out these supposedly “at risk” kids, without knowing a jot about their lifestyle, diet and genetics.
I’ve watched my own boys – aged eight and five – chub up, then turn into beanpoles with a sudden growth spurt. Physical development doesn’t fit neatly on a chart.
Our children deserve better than the state giving them a complex or, worse, an eating disorder before they’ve hit puberty. Shame never made anyone weigh less.