A MUM has been left furious after her healthy five-year-old son was branded “very overweight” after having his BMI tested at school. 

Kara Peterson, from Southend, is “disgusted” that school’s are weighing pupils, and raised major concerns over the impact on the mental health of her son Harry. 

Harry attends Porters Grange Primary School, with school bosses weighing children and calculating their BMI as part of the national child measurement programme. 

He is 121cm tall, and weighed 27.8 kg, giving him a BMI of more than 18. However, according to Livestrong, a “healthy weight” BMI for a 5-year-old is between 13.8-16.8.

A spokesman for the Portico Academy Trust, which manages the school, stated all parents were made aware in February and given the option of opting out of the scheme. 

Speaking to the Echo, Kara said: “I am just disgusted.

“They talk about mental health on the rise, and they are weighing a five-year-old to say there are ‘very overweight’.

“If I was to make my son aware of this, he would take it so personally even though he isn’t overweight at all.

“I was in total shock when I opened the letter to see that they have said a child is very overweight, especially when he isn’t.

“As a parent you question everything.”

BMI - or body mass index - is based on an individual’s height and weight. However it does not take into account muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition. Many experts having previously stated the measure “is flawed”.

The National Child Measurement Programme is run by the NHS to tackle obesity and has been in use for the last 10 years. 

A trust spokesman added: “The school nursing team sent emails out to all primary schools to forward to parents regarding the National Child Measurement Programme. This was sent to all Reception parents on February 6 via our email system. 

“All school communications occur via email (and we also uploaded to our website) and there is naturally a responsibility for parents to keep us updated with any changes of email address and to check for school communications.

“Within the letter from the school nursing team, it informs parents of what to do if they wish to opt out of the National Child Measurement Programme. This is a system set up by the school nursing team and runs in the same manner across the whole of Southend; this is not something unique to Porters Grange. 

“In this instance, it appears that the parent may have missed the two emails and therefore did not opt out of the programme.”

Krishna Ramkhelawon, director for public health at Southend Council, added: “The National Child Measurement programme is an OHID-led (Office of Health Improvement and Disparities) initiative which takes place at reception and year 6 of a schoolchild’s life and helps build a picture of what is happening across the country on a year-to-year basis. 

“Body Mass Index (BMI) is a very basic way to determine whether a person is having any issues with their weight. Children’s body are still growing and there are a wealth of factors to consider aside from their BMI, such as their fitness, activity levels, ability to learn and so on. Parents are given the option to withdraw their child from the programme if they wish, but being involved does help us better understand what is happening in Southend-on-Sea and offer age-appropriate intervention which can be tailored for the family.

“The health system, schools and parents have a duty to educate our young people about nutrition, exercise and movement in order to prevent more issues in the future. Sometimes, that involves simply highlighting to parents that there could be a concern with their child’s weight so if they need to, they can ask for support and work with professionals to address any problems.”