At last, some good news about the state of our children's weight. After years of doom and gloom about childhood obesity, it has been revealed that kids are getting THINNER.
A report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre said the proportion of Year 6 primary school children who are obese or overweight has fallen for the first time in six years.
A third of Year 6 pupils - 33.3 per cent - measured for the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in 2012/13 were obese or overweight, compared to 33.9 per cent in the previous year.
This proportion is the first recorded fall for Year 6 – 10 and 11-year-olds - in seven years.
In Reception (children aged four to five), the number of obese and overweight children also fell in 2012/13 compared to the previous year and is lower than seven years ago.
Health and Social Care Information Centre Chair, Kingsley Manning, said: "These figures provide clear insight into the weight of the next generation on both a national and local scale.
"The first drop in obesity prevalence among Year 6 stands out, although we will need to see what the numbers say in future years to determine if this is the start of a decline or more of a blip.
"Today's figures reflect an element of the health of our nation's children and today's report isn't just of interest to people that make health policy, it will be of note to many parents in England."
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: "At long last, a set of obesity figures showing a faint sign of improvement.
"The Government is right not to be too cocky about it since at least two or three years of similar statistics are required before breaking open the champagne.
"The country was told in 2008 that childhood obesity was levelling off but that piece of Whitehall spin met an early death.
"Unfortunately, these figures don't tell the full story - children who are already obese are getting fatter and getting fatter earlier."