A furious mother has blasted a school nurse who branded her slim five-year-old son ‘fat’ in an NHS letter following a school check-up.
Joshua Lomax, who is 3ft 8ins tall and weighs just 3st 7lbs, was assessed and deemed ‘overweight’ by the NHS nurse carrying out the screening at St Winifred’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport.
But his mother Natasha Lees, 32, said her son ‘doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him’ and said it was ‘disgraceful’ that children are being labelled using ‘formulas instead of initiative’.
The mother-of-four was angered after receiving a letter from her local NHS trust which said: ‘You may be surprised that your child’s result is in the overweight range.’
Joshua Lomax (pictured) had a check-up at his school in Stockport and was judged to be overweight
But his furious mother Natasha Lees (pictured with her son) has slammed the NHS and said there ‘isn’t an ounce of fat on him’
She is now worried that children could end up having eating disorders if they are placed into ‘inaccurate’ weight categories.
The forensic psychology student admitted she questioned her judgement when she got the letter and even asked family if Joshua was fat – but received a resounding ‘no’.
Ms Lees, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, said: ‘I was shocked when I received the letter. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that he has been called overweight.
‘I don’t have rose-tinted glasses. If my child was getting chubby then I would know and I would be doing something about it. I’m not someone to make excuses.
‘But there is not an ounce of fat on him. You can feel his collar bones and his ribs. How can he be overweight if I can feel his skeleton?
‘I don’t understand how anyone could look at my child and decide he’s fat. He is a healthy little boy and he is so active – he never sits still. He’s no couch potato.
‘I understand that the school nurse has to follow some formula and that puts kids into categories but they should be using a bit of initiative too and actually looking at the children in front of them.
‘These kind of inaccuracies can have such a negative effect. Luckily Joshua is still young and he’s not aware but these check-ups will happen all through school and eventually kids will start to ask questions.
‘Putting them in categories like that is disgraceful. It could really make them insecure and encourage eating disorders. They’re already under so much pressure to look a certain way.
‘And it can have a damaging effect on parents too. If a parent is self-conscious or was overweight as a child then they received that letter they might not question it and start cutting down their child’s food.
‘We’re a really healthy and active family but even I questioned myself. I started asking people if Joshua was fat and of course everyone told me ‘no’.’
Ms Lees also said her son loves football and swimming and both she and her partner Michael Lomax, a 37-year-old fitness instructor, make sure their children stay active.
The wording in the letter that she found especially outrageous read: ‘You may be surprised that your child’s result is in the overweight range as it is sometimes difficult to tell if your child is overweight as they may look similar to other children of their age.
‘If your child is overweight now they are more likely to grow up to be overweight as an adult.’
The mother said the phrasing made her feel like there was something wrong with her eyes and left her raging that her son was being called a future burden on the NHS.
She said: ‘The idea of someone just sat at a computer putting in a child’s measurements and generating this generic email is very frustrating.
‘The letter said Joshua is overweight as if it is a fact and there’s something wrong with my eyes but if anyone looks at him, you can see he’s clearly not.
Ms Lees said that her son loves playing football and swimming (pictured) and enjoys staying active
But she was outraged after receiving a letter which said her child is ‘overweight for his age, sex and height’
‘I was fuming when I read the wording of it. It is clearly saying that I am in the wrong as a parent.
‘And then on top of that they’re telling me that my child is going to cost the NHS loads of money in the future because if he’s overweight now he’ll overweight as an adult. It’s just crazy.
‘What a waste of money to spend on nurses going out to do these check-ups if they can’t even use a bit of common sense.
‘You see all these ad campaigns from the NHS based on statistics about how many children in the UK are overweight and I used to completely buy into them.
‘But now I wonder how many of those ‘overweight’ kids are like Joshua. It’s like they’re scare-mongering.’
Schoolboy Joshua’s check-up was carried out as part of the National Child Measurement Programme.
As well as calling out the NHS, Natasha slated the hypocrisy of St Winifred’s school for issuing a letter after allegedly allowing Joshua to be served ‘sugary’ treats with his school dinners – something he would never get at home.
St Winifred’s Roman Catholic Primary School said they were not in a position to comment as the letter was issued by the NHS and the person that sent the letter follows NHS guidelines.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust apologised for any upset caused by their letter which they claim they try to ensure is ‘sensitive and informative’.
A spokesperson for the trust said: ‘Our school nursing team follows the National Child Measurement Programme guidelines.
‘They take care to ensure the process is explained to the families beforehand and provide parents with advice and support if the child is shown to be overweight.
‘If the child is overweight, we try to ensure their letter is sensitive and informative and are sorry if any parent receiving this is upset.’
Eustace de Sousa, national lead for children, young people and families at Public Health England, said: ‘The evidence shows that as being overweight becomes the norm, parents and even health professionals struggle to identify when children are overweight.
‘Councils pass on information about a child’s weight in confidence to parents, who are best placed to decide what to share with their children and how to take action.
‘Most parents welcome the feedback and the offer of further support.’