Schools are to issue letters to parents in England to inform them if their child is clinically overweight for the first time, under plans to tackle obesity unveiled yesterday by the department of health.

Parents will be informed if a child’s weight is well above average levels, so that they can make changes to diet or lifestyle.

The letters are not to use the words “fat” or “obese”, so as not to stigmatise youngsters and cause families to ignore the issue.

The National Obesity Forum critiscised the government’s decision to avoid using the word obese, slamming it as “prissy and namby-pamby”, said The Guardian.

School nurses already measure the height and weight of most youngsters in the first and last year of primary education, but parents can exempt their kids.

The results are converted into a body mass index (BMI) for each child to inform NHS commissioners about the extent of obesity in each area. The results have been available to parents, but few have asked.

But from next month, results for about 1.2 million children a year will be sent automatically to parents, with advice if the child is overweight.

Health minister Ivan Lewis said: “Research shows that most parents of overweight or obese children think their child is a healthy weight.

“This important move isn’t about pointing the finger and telling parents that their children are overweight. Instead it’s about equipping parents with the information they need to help their children live healthier lives.”