Weight is very important to children and is directly linked to self-esteem. Research at Sussex University has shown that girls as young as 5 have begun to have very clear ideas about weight. If you show them pictures of girls of various weights, they will say that the fattest is not going to have any friends.

I am not sure I understand the point of the letters. It’s pretty obvious when children are overweight. And they normally come from families where one parent is overweight, usually the mother. Telling mothers something that they already know is likely to have the effect of overloading already overstretched health services - will there be additional resourcing?

The department is right to be careful about the risk of stigma. Children aged 10 are incredibly aware of their weight. My concern is the effect of the programme on the overweight child in the class. What will it do in terms of peer pressure? Will it alert the whole class to the issue, and how does it empower overweight children to do something positive?

The programme needs to be part of a far more comprehensive package.

- Dr Byron writes for The Times on child mental health

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