PE and Health
Childhood obesity is a pressing issue for Government. The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), overseen by Public Health England, collects height and weight measurements of children in reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) primarily in state-maintained schools in England. It provides robust data on the number of children in Reception and Year 6 who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.
- The prevalence of obesity in Primary aged children rose from 9.3 per cent in 2015-16 to 9.6 per cent in 2016-17 and was 9.5% in 2017-18.
- Obesity prevalence is more than twice as high among children in year 6 than in reception age children • More than one in three children (34.2 per cent) in year 6 are either overweight or obese.
- Almost one in four children (22.6 per cent) are overweight or obese in reception year.
- Obesity prevalence for children living in the most economically deprived areas is more than double that of those living in the least deprived areas.
- Obesity prevalence is higher for boys in both age groups.
- In Derbyshire the percentage figures for overweight and obese children were as follows:
2013/14
Reception: 21.7
Year 6: 30.8
2014/15
Reception: 21.6
Year 6: 30.8
2015/16
Reception: 22.2
Year 6: 32.3
2016/17
Reception: 23.7
Year 6: 32.7
2017/18
Reception: 23.9
Year 6: 33.0
In August 2016, the government published a response ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action’. As part of this plan, in July 2018 OFSTED reviewed obesity, healthy eating and physical activity in schools and as a result the Government has recently (July 2019) launched their new Healthy Schools Rating Scheme.
