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National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

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  • Date published:

  • Author: ayshabryant

Children in Year R and Year 6 are weighed and measured at school. Every child’s participation in the NCMP is valuable as the information is also used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children.

 What happens on the day?

  • Your child is told about the NCMP on the day and can choose not to take part
  • If they take part, they will be brought out of class in small groups and asked to remove their coat and shoes
  • They will be invited one-by-one into a private space to meet the friendly Public Health Nurse
  • Their height and weight will be measured by a qualified professional. They are not shared with your child
  • Their height and weight (as well as their age, sex, and ethnicity) will be used to calculate child body mass index centile (this is different to adult BMI)

Receiving your child’s results

You will receive a letter with your child’s height and weight measurements. The letter will let you know if your child is following their predicted growth pattern for their age, sex and height.  This information can be used alongside what you know about your child’s health, eating habits, behaviour, energy and activity levels and help you to choose any next steps you would like to make

View your child’s results and growth charts online by signing up to the Parent Information Portal.

If your child’s growth is outside the expected range for their age, sex, and height, you may also get a follow-up email, text, or call from the Public Health Nursing team where you can chat through any concerns and how to get more support.

Support may include:

  • Help with routines such as mealtimes, being active, and sleep
  • Support to set boundaries and navigate behaviour like picky eating
  • Information about local support or specialist services

 

About NCMP

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a public health programme in England, providing data ‘to monitor the patterns and trends, and the prevalence, of underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obesity in children as well as data on child height’.