Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they track the weight of school children between the ages of 12 and 16; if so, how this is done; and how the results are communicated to all the parents of the children so measured.

The weight of school children between the ages of 12 and 16 is not tracked nationally.

Data is collected on the height and weight of children aged 2-15 in the Health Survey for England (HSE). Around 2,000 children (aged 0-15) take part in the survey each year. Information is collected through an interview and, if participants agree, a visit from a specially trained nurse. In 2016 the sample contained 2,056 children of which 1,117 children had a nurse visit.

The HSE is a sample survey for the purposes of providing statistical information on the health and lifestyles of people across England. It is not designed to report back to parents on their child’s weight.