A SHOCKED mum was left “absolutely devastated” after being told her sporty five-year-old daughter was overweight following a school health assessment.
Little Willow-Iris Hill is a “healthy and active” schoolgirl who loves , , dancing and playing.
But school chiefs sent her mum a warning letter saying her daughter was two per cent above her ideal weight.
Willow-Iris was measured and weighed by health workers visiting her primary school who calculated her BMI and wrote to her parents.
But her mum Natasha Hill has blasted the “cruel” system – saying it does not take into account her healthy lifestyle.
Natasha said: “I am absolutely devastated and shocked. The whole system is fundamentally flawed. BMI does not take anything into account with regards to lifestyle or eating habits.
“My daughter was placed in an overweight category, but she doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her. She has naturally got a lot of strength.
“Everyone knows the BMI system is outdated. It’s absolutely demoralising. They asked if I wanted any tips. But do they know she already does a lot of sport? They labelled her as overweight which is disheartening and upsetting.
“I do everything I can to ensure she has a healthy and balanced lifestyle. They need to be careful because placing children in certain categories can have a massive impact.”
Willow-Iris attends Blaenavon Heritage School in Torfaen, south Wales, where she was tested by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board School Nursing Team.
The letter said Willow-Iris was 112cm tall and 22.6kg in weight.
It said: “The results suggest that your child’s weight is above the healthy weight range for their age, sex, and height.”
The letter then provided links to websites for guidance around nutrition and living a healthy life.
Her mum said: “Willow leads a very active and healthy lifestyle for a five-year-old. She trains twice a week in gymnastics, dances, swims, and attends performing arts classes.
“My husband and I are committed to providing her with nutritious meals and ensuring she has a balanced lifestyle.
“I’m genuinely distressed by the apparent lack of research or consideration involved in how my child has been evaluated.”
Natasha has called for health chiefs to change their approach as she fears the current model could damage children's self-image and has launched a petition.
She said: “They need to be digging deeper in order to have accurate readings. The school just follows the guidelines, but they haven’t got accurate figures.
“They could send out questionnaires instead because none of this makes sense. The majority of parents I know don’t think this is an acceptable approach.
“The whole process needs to change. If you don’t advocate for your child no one will.”
A spokesman for Public Health Wales said it couldn’t comment on individual cases.
He said: “The role of Public Health Wales is to collate Child Measurement Programme data at all Wales level for publication at population level, for example at health board level.
“Public Health Wales does not publish data on individual children.”
A council spokesperson said: “Aneurin Bevan University Health Board School Nursing Team visit to test the vision and measure the growth of reception aged children as part of the School Entry Level Review.
“Schools are notified of the visit at least two weeks before the team go into the school to complete the entry review.
“School's provide parents details of the visit which includes consent forms on which parents can opt out of all or any part of the measurements.
“Pupils are measured in height and weight in school, a letter goes home to the parents stating their BMI.
“Children are not told this. It is a guide for parents to take necessary steps if they wish to do so.”
