Obesity rates in both reception-aged and Year 6 schoolchildren increased between 2019-20 and 2020-21, the highest annual rise since the National Child Measurement Programme began.

The National Child Measurement Programme report found that obesity prevalence among four and five-year-olds in reception classes rose from 9.9 per cent in 2019-20 to 14.4 per cent in 2020-21. Among Year 6 pupils, who are aged 10 and 11, obesity prevalence increased from 21 per cent in 2019-20 to 25.5 per cent in 2020-21. The earliest comparable figures for this age group are from 2009-10, when obesity prevalence was 18.7 per cent.

The National Child Measurement Programme measures the height and weight of children in England annually and provides data on the number of children in reception and Year 6 who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese or severely obese.

NHS Digital, who collates the data, says that obesity prevalence among children living in the most deprived areas was more than double that of those living in the least deprived areas. In both age groups, obesity prevalence was higher for boys than for girls.