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NCMP

Giving your child a healthy future

You're probably here because you received a letter saying that your child might be overweight. We know that can be scary, surprising, or upsetting. So we're here to explain why this letter was sent, and what support BeeZee Bodies can offer.

We've helped hundreds of families just like yours to build healthy habits and live happier lives.

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Mollie and dad at school
"I’m so glad I didn’t find an excuse... BeeZee Families has led to subtle changes in the way we behave as a family, and all for the better”

NCMP FAQs

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a government programme that aims to measure the height and weight of every child twice during primary school, once in Reception and once in Year 6.

These measures are used to calculate their BMI (body mass index), which is then compared to the healthy range for children of the same age, height, and sex.

You received a letter because your child’s weight is above the healthy range.

You can read more about the NCMP process on the NHS website or double check your child’s results using our BMI calculator.

Or you can get an overview by watching this video:

These BMI measurements are taken by trained professionals using carefully calibrated equipment. The results take age, gender, height and weight into account. That means your child’s results are usually a reliable measurement of overall health.

We know this news might come as a surprise, but even professionals find it hard to tell if someone is a healthy weight just by looking at them. That’s why we use measures like BMI as an objective indicator of health, as well as other factors like activity levels, food choices, and happiness and wellbeing.

A high BMI is often linked to other physical health problems down the road, including heart health and mobility.

It can also impact (and be impacted by) other things like mental health and wellbeing, motivation and self-esteem.

But don’t panic! It sounds scary, but it can be fixed. And the sooner you take action, the easier it will be. It only takes a few very easy steps to get started.

The most important thing is developing long-term healthy habits rather than encouraging weight loss directly. Young children can often grow into their excess weight, so with healthy habits, the problem solves itself over time.

More children are overweight than ever before. That means our perception of what’s normal has shifted, but what’s actually healthy has stayed the same.

There are far more overweight children than most people think. Nearly a quarter of children in Reception are overweight. It’s more than a third in Year 6.

And coronavirus has had a huge impact. The number of overweight children has shot up over the last two years.

So don’t worry – you’re not on your own! Thousands of other parents will have received the exact same letter today.

That’s a really complicated question! It’s hard to maintain a healthy weight, no matter who you are. That’s true for adults as well as children (we run adult programmes too!)

We all spend more time sitting down and less time moving around than we used to. Kids spend more time playing games online than running around with their friends.

Our environment and social lives play a big part as well as our habits. We’re constantly exposed to cheap and unhealthy food options like takeaways, snack bars and fried food. These unhealthy foods are often faster and easier to make than healthy alternatives, and every parent is a busy parent!

So there are lots of different reasons your child might be overweight. One family’s reason might not be the same as another family’s reason. Which also means different families will need different solutions. We can help you figure out a few small changes that will work for your family, and help you make those changes as well.

It can be hard to make changes on your own, especially when you don’t know what’s going wrong. There’s lots of misinformation out there, and you probably don’t have hundreds of spare hours to do all the research.

That’s where we come in! We’ve already done the research, we’ve helped hundreds of families in the past, and we’ve got an experienced team of brilliant nutritionists and behaviour change experts.

How can BeeZee Bodies help?

We help families create healthier, happier lives. We know life is busy, it’s complicated, and it’s difficult. We also know how to beat those challenges and help you build the best possible life for you and your children.

We offer many different services for families just like yours. They’re all completely non-judgemental, and they’re all good for different people at different times.

And they’re all free!

FAQs

Yep! No hidden charges and no nasty surprises – we promise 🙂

Normally you get what you pay for, but in this case Public Health England have paid for everything, so you get a premium programme for nothing.

Never.

We understand that you might have had bad experiences in the past with dieticians and other professionals. That happens a lot, but BeeZee Bodies is different.

We know raising a healthy family is hard, and we’re all just doing our best. We want to make that journey easier for you, not harder. We aren’t here to judge you – we’re here to help you!

Our top priority is your child’s physical and mental health. We don’t focus on weight, we NEVER use the ‘f’ word, and we promote positive body image in all the children we work with.

We certainly don’t put children on damaging diets or force them to exercise. Instead we guide them towards finding healthy foods they like, educate them on how to eat a balanced diet (which includes yummy treats in the right amounts!), and encourage them to find joy in movement.

It can be really difficult to raise the issue of being overweight with your child. But the longer you leave it, the harder it is. By addressing it now, you’ll help them to build better habits for life and grow into healthy, happy adults!

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"We are happier, healthier and have such a positive outlook on life now... BeeZee Bodies have got it just right – thank you!”

Our Programmes for Families

BeeZee Families

Our 12 week in-person programme to help families create long-term healthy habits.

Style: In person
Age: 5-15 years
Length: 12 weeks

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BeeZee Live

All the benefits of BeeZee Families, but you can do it all online from your own home.

Style: Online
Age: 5-12 years
Length: 12 weeks

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BeeZee Academy

An online course to take as fast or as slow as you like, so it fits around your life.

Style: Online
Age: 5-15 years
Length: Self paced

Find out more