National Child Measurement

We support you with monitoring your child’s growth and development, including maintaining a healthy weight. 

There’s more to weight than just a measurement. It involves looking at your child’s growth and development, diet, eating habits, portion sizes, sleep, fluid intake and physical activity levels to name a few. 

Weight is one measure of wellbeing that can be helpful in identifying health problems both now and in the future. 

How do we monitor children’s weight? 

When your child reaches school age, you are invited to take part in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in reception and year 6. 

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a nationally mandated public health programme. Slough Child and Family Wellbeing delivers the NCMP on behalf of Slough Borough Council.

The programme monitors the BMI and growth of children across the country and helps to inform the development of services at a local level. The information collected about your child is held by your local NHS provider and treated confidentially. It is not shared with your child, school staff, or other children. 

After the programme, we contact the parents/carers of children that fall outside a healthy weight range for their age, sex and height.  

The results are a snapshot of your child’s growth at that moment of time. The information is intended to help identify where changes can be made to help your child to grow into a healthy weight. 

Guidance and helpful information  

To support your child with a healthy weight, you might wish to consider their: 

• Portion sizes 

• Levels of physical activity and active play 

• Diet and eating habits 

• Lifestyle and hobbies 

If you have recent growth measurements you can check your child’s BMI using the  

NHS BMI Calculator