OBESITY among York schoolchildren is continuing to fall, but more than a quarter of Year Six pupils are still overweight, according to new figures.

The annual weigh-in of children showed in the last school year 14.6 per cent of reception class children in York tipped the scales as too heavy.

This percentage was almost twice as high among Year Six pupils, with 26.4 per cent of children weighing in as either overweight or obese.

However, the figures have fallen since 2008/9, when 29 per cent of Year Six pupils and 16.8 per cent of reception class children were classed as too heavy.

In Ryedale, the percentage of overweight and obese reception class children has dropped considerably, from 29.5 in 2008/9 to 22.8 in 2009/10. Year Six children also weighed in slightly lighter.

But in Selby, the percentage of overweight and obese children in Year Six shot up from 26.9 in 2008/9 to 31.9 in 2009/10.

The percentage of reception class children in Selby who weighed in too heavy also increased, from 11.4 in 2008/9 to 13.3 last year.

Coun Mark Crane, leader of Selby District Council, said he held parents responsible for the embarrassing figures.

He said: “It’s very easy to blame the NHS or the local council, but I think the fault lies squarely with the parents.

“I’ve got children myself, and I think it’s every parent’s responsibility to make sure their children eat healthily and are involved in exercise.”

Rachel Johns, interim director of public health at NHS North Yorkshire and York, said across North Yorkshire as a whole she considered the results to be “positive”.

She said obesity was one of the biggest health challenges they faced and praised the hard work over a number of years by parents, children, the NHS, local authorities and other partners in tackling the problem.

“Successful initiatives include the healthy schools programme, extended school activities and school sport partnerships,” she said.

“Children’s centres have played an important part and the primary care trust has worked in partnership with local authorities to commission specific activities for children at higher risk, including the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition and Do It (MEND) programmes.”

However, there was not such good news for health bosses in East Yorkshire, where the percentage of obese and overweight children in Year Six and reception class actually exceeded the average for England.

Percentage of overweight and obese children

York Press: Percentage of overweight and obese children