THE idea that Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and schools are taking an interest in children’s weight is a good thing.

What is not good is the way some aspects of the rather wordy National Child Measurement Programme are being administered.

Take young Zac Forder, for example.

The five-year-old was labelled overweight because he tipped the scales at 3st 5lbs – just 1lb more than the healthy range for a child of his age, weight and sex.

What nonsense.

The PCT has been weighing and measuring kids as part of the programme, but in this instance discretion has clearly not been exercised.

How on earth can the Government, and, in turn, individual PCTs, adopt a one-size-fits-all policy for assessing the health and fitness of young children, or any child for that matter. We all come in very different shapes and sizes – children especially.

Quite aside from that, who on earth are the PCT to tell parents their children are overweight?

The letter dispatched to Zac’s mum, Michala Forder of Carterton, said her son may contract heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

Talk about putting the fear of God into her. The lad is five years old and active.

The words nanny and state spring to mind.