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Introduction

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), also known as the school height and weight checks, is a mandated annual programme delivered by local authorities. It involves measuring the height and weight of all school children in reception and year 6.

Over 99% (17,000) of eligible state-maintained schools across England, including academies, usually participate in the NCMP. Over one million children in reception and year 6 usually have their height and weight measured in schools as part of the programme.

The importance and purpose of the NCMP

Support from schools is crucial to delivering the NCMP. This guidance provides information for school leaders, staff and governing bodies on tasks that schools can help with to ensure the programme runs smoothly.

°Õ³ó±ðÌýNCMP provides vital information that enables local authorities and their partners to:

• plan for and invest in health and leisure services to promote children and young people’s health
• reduce levels of child obesity
• safeguard children at the highest risks of underweight and overweight
• better understand health inequalities in children

It also provides the opportunity to raise parents’ awareness of child health, growth and promote healthy lifestyle choices.

For further background and data on children’s growth and weight in primary schools, see the introduction of the NCMP operational guidance and the which gives a summary of the NCMP process and the information shared with parents.

The importance of healthy growth in children

Healthy child growth is paramount and fundamental to a child’s development. Research has shown that growing healthily and maintaining a healthy weight throughout childhood is important for physical, social and mental wellbeing and readiness to learn. It also lays a foundation for future wellbeing, learning and employment. When children are healthier, they may feel better about themselves. They may also find it easier to play and learn and they are more likely to grow up healthy too (Caird and others, 2011).

Having good oral health is also an important aspect of a child’s overall health. Children who have tooth decay may have:

• pain
• infections
• difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising
• time off school for dental treatment

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)Ìý°ù±ð±è´Ç°ù³ÙÌýTime to solve childhood obesity shows that children who are a higher weight for their age and sex are more likely to develop a variety of illnesses in childhood and later life, such as:

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• increased risk of type 2 diabetes
• breathing difficulties
• dental caries (tooth decay, often called cavities)
• bone and joint problems

Refer to appendix 1 for more information on facts about childhood obesity.

Improving all children’s health and education chances

Supporting the NCMP and making it part of a wider ‘whole school approach’ to health and wellbeing can:

• support the delivery of the statutory health education curriculum
• help schools to show Ofsted that they are considering the health and wellbeing of their pupils and helping them know how to keep physically healthy
• support parents and pupils to gain the knowledge and skills required for good health and wellbeing

DHSC’s provides resources to promote healthy eating and physical activity among school aged children. These resources include toolkits, calendar wallcharts and other teaching materials for head teachers, reception and year 6 teachers to help them teach their pupils about healthy lifestyles. You need to register and log into the DHSC to access these resources.

You can find more information on healthy eating, physical activity and oral health in schools in appendix 2.

Overview of the NCMP

Oversight and reporting

DHSC has responsibility for the national oversight of the NCMP. The surveillance elements of the programme are a mandated public health function of local authorities and are funded through the public health grant.

Data collected through the NCMP is returned to NHS England and then shared with DHSC in an anonymised form. From November 2025, DHSC will take responsibility from NHS England for the analysis and publication of the annual report summarising local and national data. The data is used both nationally and locally to inform child health and obesity policy planning and service commissioning. It is vital to monitoring trends and progress at a national and local level, including the impact on inequalities and child health.

Maintaining the mental wellbeing of pupils in the NCMP

The importance of mental wellbeing during the NCMP

The wellbeing of children and families participating in the NCMP is a priority. We recognise that child weight and growth can be a sensitive issue for some children and parents. We have highlighted the importance of maintaining the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and families in all NCMP guidance and delivery resources provided to:

• the delivery teams that carry out the measurements
• schools
• local authorities

NCMP resources developed for children and families are designed to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours and not focus on weight.

Measuring children in a sensitive way

School nursing teams and NCMP delivery staff measure children in a sensitive way, in private and away from other children.

The weight and height information may be shared with a child’s parent or carer in a feedback letter or telephone call. Where local authorities provide feedback to parents, no individual information is shared with the children themselves, teachers or the school.

It is a parent’s choice if they share the information with their child. If a parent has any concerns about their child’s growth, weight, body image or eating patterns, the NCMP feedback letter can provide national and local information to support parents and advise on where to seek further support from a school nurse or GP.

Communicating about child weight

Parents react in different ways to receiving their child’sÌýNCMP feedback. So, guidance is available to help school nursing teams and NCMP delivery staff have supportive conversations with parents about the NCMP and their child’s health and growth.

The NCMP operational guidance has information:

• about resources to help health professionals to talk with parents about their child’s weight
• to support parents who want to know how to approach talking about weight with their child

Supporting delivery of the NCMP in your school

Your local authority is responsible for delivering the NCMP. However, the programme has been most successful in areas where schools have provided support. So, local NCMP leads may contact your school to ask for your help by doing the following.

Provide a class list for all children in reception and year 6

Providing the class list

The class list should contain the school’s name and unique reference number. And for each pupil, their:

• name
• sex
• date of birth
• ethnicity
• home address
• home postcode
• home phone number

You should also do the following, as part of providing the class list.

Check there are no new starters missing from the class list.

Advise if there are any children on the class list who are not eligible to participate in the height and weight checks because they are unable to stand unaided. °Õ³ó±ðÌýNCMP lead can make alternative arrangements for these children.

Advise if there are children with Down’s syndrome. Children with Down’s syndrome should be included in the NCMP activity on measurement day as appropriate. However, the NCMP provider will need to use a specialist growth chart and provide parents with an adapted feedback letter.

Class lists and data protection regulations

Regulations that govern the NCMP allow for the release of pupils’ personal information by the school to the local authority or to the person carrying out the measurement on behalf of the local authority, such as an NHS service provider. The regulations are:

So, it is lawful under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) for schools to provide class lists to NCMP providers for the purposes of the NCMP.

Parental consent is not the lawful basis for the processing of NCMP data under the DPA 2018. Since consent is not needed, schools do not need to obtain the consent of parents to provide class lists to school nursing teams and NCMP providers. All parties involved should be following local information governance guidance regarding the secure transfer of personal data.

You can find further guidance on schools sharing information with NCMP providers or the school nursing team in the NCMP operational guidance.

Support sending the pre-measurement letter to parents

The local authority is responsible for ensuring that parents are informed about the NCMP, including how their child’s data will be stored and processed and how they can withdraw their child from the programme. See ‘The role and responsibilities of local authorities’ section for more information on the pre-measurement letter to parents.

Your local NCMP lead may seek your support to send pre-measurement letters electronically or give to children to take home. Local authorities may also ask for the and to be sent along with the pre-measurement letter for parents. These leaflets help parents understand the NCMP process and why healthy weight and growth are important for a child’s health and wellbeing. You need to register and log into the DHSC to access these leaflets.

Tell the local authority if any parents withdraw their child

Parents will be asked through the pre-measurement letter to let the local authority or service provider know if they have chosen to withdraw their child. However, some parents may respond directly to the school. Relaying this information to the NCMP delivery team will ensure that parents’ wishes are respected.

Confirm convenient days and times

You should confirm convenient days and times for NCMP staff to come into the school to measure the height and weight of children in reception and year 6.

Provide rooms and supervision

You should provide a room (or rooms) where children’s height and weight can be measured and a member of staff to help with supervising children’s movement to and from the room.

It is important that each child’s height and weight is measured in privacy, without being seen or heard by other pupils. Schools will need to identify a private area, with adequate space and appropriate flooring, such as a level, non-carpeted flooring to ensure that scales give an accurate reading. If a separate room is not available, a screened-off area can be used.

Children are not told or given their height, weight or weight category by staff delivering the programme.

Raising awareness of the NCMP

°Õ³ó±ðÌýNCMP has been successful in areas where governors, parents and children have a good understanding and awareness of the programme and its importance. The local NCMP lead may work with you to arrange engagement sessions such as:

• planning an assembly where the NCMP lead can talk to children about the programme
• including an article on the NCMP in the school newsletter
• sharing information on the programme with governors

Make full use of curriculum linked teaching resources

Resources in the  are available for head teachers, reception and year 6 teachers, to help them teach pupils about leading healthy lifestyles in the years in which they are weighed and measured as part of the NCMP. There are ideas for whole school activities and suggestions for engaging parents.

Provide parents with contact details if they have any questions

Some parents want to discuss their child’s measurement data with someone. So, giving the parent the correct details that the NCMP lead has provided to you will help them receive support quickly.

The role and responsibilities of local authorities

What local authorities are responsible for

Delivering the programme, including the height and weight measurements and returning relevant data to NHS England, is a statutory function of local authorities set out in legislation.

Local authorities, or the provider organisations they commission, will be responsible for:

• ensuring that a registered health professional or medical practitioner, such as a registered school nurse or a registered dietitian, oversees the implementation of the programme
• securing the class list information on children in reception and year 6, by liaising either directly with schools or with their local authority education officer

A parent’s email address and phone number may also be required if the local authority or NCMP provider plan to provide digital communication and proactive feedback calls to parents.

Sending a pre-measurement letter to parents

Regulations relating to the NCMP require local authorities to give parents reasonable opportunity to withdraw their child from the programme. This requirement is covered by sending them a pre-measurement letter at least 2 weeks before their child is due to be measured. This letter includes detailed information on what happens to the child’s data and how to withdraw them. The letter also directs parents to the NCMP privacy notice which explains:

• who the data controllers are
• how long data is kept
• the legal basis for processing the data

The pre-measurement letter ensures that:

• parents understand the value of having their child measured
• the information provided to parents on the processing of their child’s height and weight data meets the requirements of GDPR and the DPA 2018

DHSC has developed text for the pre-measurement letter that local authorities must send to parents of all children eligible to take part in the NCMP.

Schools may be asked to support dissemination of this letter to parents (refer to the ‘Supporting delivery of the NCMP in your school’ section above).

Raising awareness of the NCMP

²Ñ²¹²Ô²âÌýNCMP leads will seek to raise awareness of the programme and what it involves among parents, school leaders and staff, governors and children. To do this, they can:

• include short articles in school newsletters
• provide school leaders, staff and governors with information
• deliver assemblies

The local NCMP lead is your first point of contact. This could be your local authority public health team or an NCMP provider, such as a school nursing service or commissioned service that measures the children’s height and weight.

Planning for and carrying out the height and weight checks

NCMP leads plan the logistics of measuring children’s height and weight and work with schools to arrange appropriate days and times to take measurements.

Feeding back to parents

Local authorities may share individual height and weight measurements and calculated weight category with each child’s parent either by phone, post or digitally from the NCMP provider directly to the parent.

We have produced text for a parent feedback letter for local authorities, which local authorities can use and adapt. This feedback, provided within 6 weeks of the measurement, offers parents individually tailored information about their child’s height, weight and weight category, which will be one of:

• underweight
• healthy weight
• overweight and very overweight (combined)

The feedback also signposts to sources of local and national support and advice, such as the NHS pages:

All of these can support and encourage parents to monitor their child’s growth and to adopt healthier lifestyle behaviours.

Parents and health professionals often cannot tell just by looking at a child whether they fall within a healthy weight range. This is why taking an objective measurement by trained health professionals through the NCMP and sharing that information with parents is important.

Feeding back to schools

Local authorities can share information on school-level child overweight and obesity prevalence, over a 3 year average, compared with local and national averages with schools through bespoke NCMP school feedback letters.

The letters also include details of resources to encourage whole school action to increase health and wellbeing, including:

• healthy eating
• increasing physical activity
• having good oral health

You can find a list of resources in appendix 3.

Along with actions local authorities are already taking, this may help in preventing the continued increase of excess weight in children from reception to year 6. This will benefit not only the health and wellbeing of pupils but also their learning and achievement in school.

Check with your local NCMP lead whether the local authority provides feedback to parents and feedback to schools.

References

Caird J, Kavanagh J, Oliver K, O’Mara A, Stansfield C and Thomas J. . London: EPPI-Centre, 2011.

Griffiths LJ, Parsons TJ and Hill AJ. . International Journal of Pediatric Obesity 2010: volume 5, issue 4, pages 282 to 304.

Grimmett C, Croker H, Carnell S and Wardle J. . Pediatrics 2008: volume 122, issue 3, pages e682 to e688.

Hill AJ. . Current Obesity Reports 2017: volume 6, pages 63 to 70.

Langford R, Bonell CP, Jones HE, Pouliou T, Murphy SM, Waters E, Komro KA, Gibbs LF, Magnus D and Campbell R. . Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014: issue 4, article number CD008958.

Palad CJ, Yarlagadda S and Stanford FC. . Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity 2019: volume 26, issue 1, pages 19 to 24.

Rankin J, Matthews L, Cobley S, Sanders R, Wiltshire H and Baker J. . Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics 2016: volume 7, pages 125 to 146.

Viner RM, Kinra S, Christie D, Cole TJ, Costa S, Croker H and others. . Programme Grants Applied Research 2020: volume 8, issue 3.

Appendix 1: facts about childhood obesity

Children living with obesity are more likely to be ill, to be absent from school due to illness, experience health-related limitations and require more medical care than children of a healthy weight. Health is not the only issue. Research (Rankin and others, 2016; Hill, 2017; Griffiths and others, 2010; Palad and others, 2019) has shown that children living with obesity are also impacted by emotional and social issues, such as:

• poorer emotional wellbeing
• being at a higher risk of depression
• developing an eating disorder in older children
• lower body image and self-esteem
• teasing or bullying
• behavioural problems
• avoidance of active play or learning opportunities in school sport and PE

This can impact a child’s time at school including:

• attendance, as they may need to miss school for medical appointments or treatment
• learning and academic achievement
• sleep (sleep-deprived children are less likely to perform well academically)

It can also affect staff training and expertise because staff may need to provide extra support to children with health problems to ensure they manage their condition during the school day.

However, it’s important to note that many children living with obesity:

• are psychologically well
• have high self-esteem
• do not suffer major depression

You can find more information about the evidence for this in the guidance The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment.

For more information on how school and public health nursing teams can help, see ‘School-aged years high impact area 3: supporting healthy lifestyles’ in the guidance Supporting public health: children, young people and families.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’sÌý project has found that children and young people may themselves recognise the benefits of being a healthy weight and having healthy teeth and gums. And some know that they need help to make healthy choices to stay healthy, happy and well.

Appendix 2: promoting the wellbeing of pupils

Physical health and mental wellbeing in schools

Since September 2020, health education has been a statutory requirement for schools to teach pupils about the:

• importance of good nutrition and being physically fit and healthy to maintain their mental health and wellbeing
• benefits of having healthy teeth and gums

By the end of primary school, pupils should know:

• how to eat a nutritious diet to promote their health
• the importance of a nutritious diet to prevent tooth decay

• about conditions related to being a higher weight, such as:

  • high blood pressure
  • heart disease
  • bone and joint problems

The Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education does not apply to independent schools, who must meet the standards set out in The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014. However, it does apply to academies and free schools.

The Ofsted Education inspection framework includes a judgement on the personal development of children, which includes evaluating the extent to which the curriculum and the provider’s wider network helps children to know how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

Healthy eating and food in schools

has indicated that children receiving universal infant free school meals:

• have significantly better body weight outcomes than they otherwise would
• are more likely to be of a healthy weight
• are less likely to be living with obesity
• have a lower BMI

reported that free school meals may contribute to a 7 to 11% reduction in obesity prevalence in reception children and a 2% to 5% reduction in obesity prevalence in year 6 children.

Government guidance on school food is designed to create a culture and ethos of healthy eating. See ‘Creating a culture and ethos of healthy eating’ in DfE’sÌýSchool food standards: resources for schools.

Physical activity in schools

The report What works in schools and colleges to increase physical activity summarises the evidence for increasing physical activity in children and young people. It also includes local examples.

Oral health in schools

Oral health is also part of general health and wellbeing and contributes to the development of a healthy child as well as school readiness. Although improving, the oral health survey of 5 year olds in England in 2022 showed that almost a quarter (23.7%) have tooth decay when they start school.

Children who are overweight and very overweight are more likely to have dental caries than those of healthy weight even when other potential influences such as deprivation are taken into account. This shows an association between children’sÌýBMI and the prevalence and severity of caries.

For more on the evidence between dental caries and obesity in children, see the report Dental caries and obesity: their relationship in children.

The Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance supports schools with teaching pupils how to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing including the benefits of good oral hygiene and regular check-ups at the dentist.

Appendix 3: resources

NCMP operational guidance

The NCMP operational guidance is for local commissioners, providers and schools to help them run the NCMP. It has several parts. The main part is the operational guidance for local authority commissioners and providers involved in delivering the programme.

There is also text for letters that local authorities can adapt based on local arrangements. These letters are:

• pre-measurement letter to parents
• letter to parents of children unable to be measured unaided
• parent feedback letter templates
• pre-measurement letter to head teachers
• pre-measurement letter to primary care practitioners

NCMP school feedback letters

NCMP school feedback letters: these are letter templates for local authorities to send to schools participating in the NCMP. They are intended to be edited, to include details of any local primary care providers, weight management and support services.

Better Health: healthier families resources

A downloadable suite of curriculum-linked healthy teaching resources are available on the . These resources include toolkits and calendar wallcharts. There are also other teaching materials for head teachers, reception and year 6 teachers to help them teach their pupils about healthy lifestyles. You need to register and log into the DHSC to access the School Zone resources.

Resources include ideas for whole school activities to encourage eating well and moving more, keeping teeth and gums healthy as well as suggestions for engaging parents.

There are also useful resources for teaching mental wellbeing to key stage 1 and key stage 2, such as kindness and recognising and expressing emotions.

Teachers can subscribe to the School Zone to keep up to date with new materials and campaigns.

The School Zone also has resources for school nursing teams and other NCMP providers delivering NCMP locally to help them support children and their families to engage in healthier lifestyles.

Resources to encourage healthy eating

: teaching resources to help pupils explore what is in their food and drink, and swap unhealthy foods that are high in saturated fat, sugar and salt. It enables healthier choices as part of wider lessons on healthy eating. The app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.

: guidance for schools to support a ‘whole school approach’ to healthy eating and supporting families. You will need to sign in or register to view this resource.

Standards for school food in England:ÌýDfE guidance on the standards for planning and providing food in schools.

School food standards: resources for schools:ÌýDfE resources to help schools plan and provide healthy food in schools. Includes the guidance ‘Creating a culture and ethos of healthy eating’, which supports pupils to learn how to keep themselves healthy and make informed choices about healthy eating and fitness.

Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities: guidance for schools and local authorities about providing school meals including information on free school meal eligibility.

The Eatwell Guide: summarises government recommendations on eating healthily and achieving a balanced diet.

: a hub of information about providing healthy children’s food offering 15 training courses for schools and caterers related to improving food for children.

: a resource to support primary schools develop a ‘whole school approach’ to food.

Resources to encourage physical activity

Active mile briefings: guidance that provides information about the evidence on active mile initiatives, ideas for how to implement them and examples of practice. It recommends that schools deliver at least 30 minutes of the recommended daily 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for children.

: a programme to put physical activity and school sport at the heart of schools, giving young people the opportunity to learn through competition.

PE and sport premium for primary schools:ÌýDfE guidance on how to invest in sport premium funding to increase physical activity levels.

Physical activity guidelines: children and young people (5 to 18 years): a printable infographic explaining the physical activity needed for general health benefits for children and young people aged 5 to 18 years.

Physical activity guidelines: disabled children and disabled young people: a printable infographic explaining the physical activity needed for general health benefits for disabled children and disabled young people.

: a simple and free initiative to encourage children to run, walk or jog for 15 minutes every day.

Resources to encourage emotional health and wellbeing

Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education: this DfE guidance sets out expectations about what pupils should know by the end of primary and secondary school and includes content on mental wellbeing.

Teaching about mental wellbeing: this DfE guidance supports its statutory guidance on RSE and health education. It contains practical materials for primary and secondary schools to use to train staff about teaching mental wellbeing.

: resources for schools offering lesson plans for key stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 to support the RSE and health education curriculum and enable teachers to support the wellbeing of students.

Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing: this guidance from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and DfE sets out 8 principles of a ‘whole school or college approach’ to promoting good mental health and wellbeing. 

: the national body for PSHE education. Their resource library has lesson plans and assessment tools to help teach on mental health and emotional wellbeing.

: a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults. It includes content specifically for education staff in schools to support and promote children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Oral health resources

: these dental lesson plans are part of a set of school resources to help pupils and their families learn about healthier eating habits.

Improving oral health: supervised tooth brushing programme toolkit: a toolkit to support commissioning of supervised tooth brushing programmes in schools.

: lesson plans on oral hygiene to help children learn how plaque forms and why and how sugary food and drink can damage your teeth.

: lesson plans on oral hygiene to help children learn how they can prevent tooth decay.