'Fat boy' slim: Pupil without an inch of fat branded overweight

Tracey Halton's son Tom, 11, a keen cyclist, was so upset he refused to eat his meals following the letter after he was weighed and measured at school as part of a national health programme.

The letter warned Mrs Halton, 42, a paediatric nurse, that at 5ft 1in and 7st 10lbs Tom was outside the "healthy range" for children of his age. The letter encouraged his parents to help him become more active and eat healthily.

It said : "If we carry on as we are, nine out of ten children today could grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies. This can cause diseases like cancer, type two diabetes and heart disease."

Mrs Halton, of Barnsley, said: "Tom asked 'what's wrong with me?' He said he felt like he had been kicked in the stomach.

"He wouldn't eat his tea and was worried about it when he went to bed. I wouldn't say he is a beanpole but there isn't an inch of fat on him. It's all right for the NHS to send out these letters but it's not them who are left to pick up the pieces."

Tom's father Dan 46, a school governor, has written to NHS Barnsley demanding they stop sending out the letters. He said : "The impression it gives is that your child is fat, it's your fault and they will die from a horrible disease.

"Tom has a healthy diet and will happily eat fruit and vegetables and he's a really active kid."

Assistant director for public health Sharon Stoltz said NHS Barnsley was following a Government initiative.

She added: "However, Mr Halton has raised some very important points about the way the National Child Measurement Programme is delivered in Barnsley and NHS Barnsley would like to thank him for the effort he has made to bring these to our attention."