The Scottish Government has drawn up new LGBT inclusivity guidance which allows children as young as four to change their name and gender at school without their parents’ consent.

Teachers have been told to “be affirming” of children’s wishes to transition to a different gender, and to give trans pupils the choice over which bathrooms and changing rooms they use.

The 70-page document, issued ahead of the new school year in Scotland, states: “A transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity,

“Inadvertent disclosure could cause needless stress for the young person or could put them at risk and breach legal requirements. Therefore, it is best to not share information with parents or carers without considering and respecting the young person’s views and rights.”

The guidance asks schools to develop gender neutral uniform options, and to incorporate transgender characters and role models in reading materials and lessons.

Marion Calder, co-director of the For Women Scotland campaign group says: “This is really, really worrying. The bottom line is that this is a dangerous ideology that the Scottish Government is pushing.

“It shows a failure in safeguarding and a removal of parental rights. It used to be commonly understood that children should be able to play and experiment with gender roles, with clothing, their likes and dislikes.

“Those children are now being encouraged on to a medical pathway, potentially for the rest of their lives. We should not be teaching children, and especially primary school children, that you can change sex, because you cannot change sex.”

Denying that this new guidance promotes transitioning, Shirley-Anne Somerville, the SNP Education Secretary, identifies the many issues such children face in schools.

She says: “This guidance outlines how schools can support transgender young people while ensuring that the rights of all pupils are fully respected. It provides schools with practical suggestions.”

Other campaigners warn that such guidance could pose a risk for children who enjoy playing with toys that are stereotypically associated with the other sex being wrongly labelled as transgender.