My five year old boy was called FAT by school – he plays tons of football and goes swimming… it's got to be a joke
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A FURIOUS mum has slammed the NHS for branding her five-year-old boy overweight despite him regularly playing football and swimming.
Laura Atherton had given permission for slim son Jack Atherton to take part in the National Child Measurement Programme at his primary school last month.
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Laura Atherton with her five-year-old son Jack
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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Jack was branded overweight
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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He goes swimming and plays football regularly
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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The letter in question branding him 'overweight'
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
However, the 34-year-old laughed when she received a results letter from Halton Borough Council, Cheshire, last Wednesday declaring Jack as "overweight".
The mum-of-two insists her "sporty" son plays football once a week and has been going swimming since he was two months old.
Angry Laura says Jack "isn't chubby at all" and blames the 'outdated' BMI (Body Mass Index) system for not understanding how kids grow at different rates.
Jack is 3ft 5in and weighs 3.5st, which puts him in the 97th percentile for his age and in the "overweight" bracket (91 and above).
Tech complaints manager Laura posted an explainer video to TikTok, including a picture of her "'regular" son with viewers left gobsmacked.
Laura, from Widnes, Cheshire, said: "I laughed when I saw it and said 'it's got to be a joke'.
"Once it settled I thought classifying him as that was really bad. It's barbaric and horrendous.
"He's very active and he's always been active. He's been swimming since he was a couple of months old.
"He still goes swimming every week on a Saturday and he goes to football every Monday.
"He's a normal-build five-year-old and he's wearing age 4-5 clothes.
I've got washboard abs & weigh 13 stone at 5ft10 but I'm 'obese' by BMI standards
"It angers me because what more can we be doing? I don't think he's overweight and everyone we know is outraged."
She added: "People might think I've got rose-tinted glasses on and 'maybe he's a bit chubby but she doesn't see it' but he isn't chubby at all. There's nothing to him.
"If I fed him less he'd be hungry. He's a growing lad and that's obviously not something I'm going to do.
"From the checks online, I think if he was 3-4cm taller then he'd be in the healthy weight bracket, which is mental because they all grow at different rates at that age.
"When Jack came home last night and asked for a biscuit I wondered if he should, but why was I thinking that? It's impacted me as well, it's ridiculous.
"I don't want him to be overweight and that's a choice we make every day through his meals and making sure we get fruit and veg down him.
"Jack doesn't know about it and he won't know about it either, he doesn't need to."
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Jack with his mum Laura
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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He was described as 'sporty' by his mum
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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Sam's dad also gave his thoughts on the matter
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
Laura, who also lives with hubby Sam, 36, and their other son George, one, insists Jack's weight hasn't been brought up by medical professionals before.
The National Child Measurement Programme measures the height and weight of children in reception class (aged 4-5) and year six (aged 10-11) to assess overweight and obesity levels in primary school children.
The programme uses BMI for the programme, which is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height, and includes a QR code on the results letter to advise parents.
Laura believes such tests should be done at clinics rather than schools but doesn't feel BMI is fit for purpose anyway.
'DANGEROUS & OUTDATED'
Laura said: "I'm not a doctor but I don't think BMI is fit for purpose. I think it's dangerous and outdated.
"Some parents are really impressionable and if they didn't feel as strongly as I did then their kids might be going on a diet unnecessarily.
"If you're a child and you're told you're overweight then that could have a real detrimental impact on their confidence and their relationship with food.
"I think it's a terrible idea [to weigh kids in school]. The next check is when they go into high school and that's such an impressionable age and they'll be talking about it.
"I agree with it in the correct environment for children that need help so I think these checks need to be through the doctors and school isn't the right setting."
Laura's TikTok video, captioned 'I'm fuming', has been viewed almost half a million times with many comments in support of her.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) is vital to inform action to improve the health of all children and promote a healthier weight.
'We recognise that weight and growth can be very sensitive for some children, and their wellbeing is our priority. The privacy and dignity of children must be safeguarded at all times, and no child is forced to take part.
'School nursing teams and NCMP delivery staff measure children in a sensitive way, in private and away from other children, with weight and height information shared only with the parent or carer in a feedback letter.
'This government is shifting focus from sickness to prevention under our 10 Year Health Plan to meet our ambition of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.'
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Jack with his happy family
Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
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