"...children from the most deprived areas more than twice as likely to be obese..."

Obesity in schools continuing to rise

The report also found that obesity prevalence for children living in the most deprived areas was more than double that of those living in the least deprived areas for both reception and year six.

Obesity also varied by local authority. For reception this ranged from 4.8% in Kingston-upon-Thames to 13.5% in Wolverhampton.

“The latest data also shows that inequalities are widening, with children from the most deprived areas more than twice as likely to be obese as those from the least deprived,” said Buck.