I’m furious that my slim 12 year old was fat shamed by the government
When Gemma Ranson opened the letter her daughter Lilly brought home from school, she felt a wave of shock.
Her sporty 12-year-old, who models for brands such as Next, Joules and Argos, was declared ‘overweight’ by the government.
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Unbeknownst to Gemma, Lilly had been weighed at school last year at the age of 11.
“The letter stated that her body mass index (BMI) was in the 94th percentile, meaning she was ‘overweight’,” says former caregiver Gemma. “I was shocked. Lilly was clearly not obese.”
Gemma – who is also mum to Teddy, 14, and Ruby, three – spoke out as figures from the National Child Measurement Program yesterday revealed that 9.6 per cent of children who start school at the age of four and five are obese is – an increase compared to 9.2 percent in 2022/2023.
‘It was humiliating’
Meanwhile, 22 percent of ten and eleven year olds were placed in the same weight category – down from the previously recorded 22.7 percent.
According to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, this is “unacceptably high”.
But concerned mothers say the letters are doing more harm than good, with one finding her seven-year-old daughter on the scales after reading the warning herself.
The weigh-ins usually take place early in the school year and parents can opt out. But many claim they were unaware of the plan.
“I was furious,” says Gemma, from Braintree, Essex. “Lilly, who ate healthily and exercised a lot, was given a label that made no sense. It was terrible.
“My slim daughter was shamed by the government. It was humiliating for her and I felt like my parents were ashamed.
“The letter felt like a death sentence. To tell a sought-after child model that she is overweight when she clearly is not is madness. The system is broken.
“In my opinion, the measurements cause children to develop 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 take part in support programmes, which she did.
“I was afraid I would be labeled a bad parent if I didn’t call,” she says.
“The person who responded said that Lilly and I should do a six-week program to learn more about portion sizes and changing her diet.”
Gemma says she was ‘hounded’ by weekly texts telling her to weigh Lilly.
My slim daughter had been shamed by the government. It was humiliating for her and I felt like my parents were ashamed
Gemma Ranson
“This had a devastating toll on her,” she says. “Her self-esteem plummeted and she started worrying about everything she ate.”
Gemma believes the use of BMI – which measures height against weight – is the reason why Lilly “failed”, adding: “It doesn’t take into account bone density, height, early puberty or muscle mass. It means that thin children who are disproportionately short or tall, or who entered puberty earlier, are fat-shamed.
“I don’t want any more children to suffer like my child. It’s time to put an end to the madness.”
Franchise boss Lauren Ormesher, from Skelmersdale, Lancs, was shocked when her seven-year-old daughter Maggie was diagnosed as overweight two years ago.
The 35-year-old, who is also mum to Molly, five, and married to event doctor Ben, 24, said: “Maggie is a spectacle who competes in the small category and is healthy and slim.
“This national assessment scars our children and does not take into account genetics, exercise patterns, diet or lifestyle.
Her self-esteem plummeted and she began to worry about everything she ate.
Gemma Ranson
“Maggie read the letter and became paranoid about what she was eating. I found her weighing herself in the bathroom. It broke my heart.
“We are told that social media is endangering our children. These letters have an even worse effect.”
Lauren was so outraged by the measure that she launched the Bye Bye BMI campaign, to push for the use of other calculation methods.
“It’s time to stop using BMI,” she says. “The results do not combat obesity. They cause weight-related problems in slim and normal children.”
Teacher Stuetina Avery Hawkins was heartbroken when her football-mad eight-year-old Sienna was labeled ‘obese’.
The mum, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, who also has children Miyla, 16, and twins Fin and Wyatt, four, said: “When Sienna handed me a letter I thought it was going to be about an after-school club.
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“Instead, it said she was ‘obese,’ and Sienna had read it.
“Now she thinks she’s fat and talks about diets.”
Eating disorder charity Beat is warning parents about school weigh-ins.
A spokesperson said: “With record numbers of children and young people seeking treatment for eating disorders, and waiting times at unprecedented levels, continuing the National Child Measurement Program is a misguided approach.
“Research shows it has minimal impact on reducing obesity, yet it can contribute to an unhealthy relationship with food, damaged self-image and disordered eating behaviour.
“We advise parents to consider whether participation in the program is suitable for their child.”
I don’t want any more children to suffer like my child. It’s time to put an end to the madness
Gemma Ranson
But Professor Simon Kenny, National Clinical Director for Children and Young People at NHS England, warned: “Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life – it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a health time bomb for the future. which increases the risk. of type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health problems and other diseases.”
The NHS spends around £6.5 billion a year in England treating obesity-related problems and has a range of services to support families.
This includes 30 specialist clinics, treating thousands of two to eighteen year olds with health complications associated with severe obesity.
Essex County Council said they want to help children “thrive”, adding: “All parents have the opportunity to opt out of the NHS National Child Measurement Programme.”
Lancashire County and Milton Keynes At the time of going to press, the municipalities had not yet commented.
IT IS NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL
SENIOR Fantastic writer and mother-of-two Alex Lloyd says most parents are well aware of the risks of childhood obesity – and ‘shameful’ letters from the government don’t help.
She says of the weigh-ins: They use a flawed and rudimentary measure to single out these supposedly “at-risk” children without knowing anything about their lifestyle, diet and genetics.
I have watched my own boys – eight and five years old – grow up and then turn into bean pollen with a sudden growth spurt. Physical development does not fit neatly into a graph.
Our children deserve better than the state that gives them a complex or, worse, an eating disorder before they reach puberty. Shame has never made anyone weigh less.
