A Catholic primary school in Co Wicklow is introducing a new policy which will allow boys to wear skirts and girls to wear trousers from next September. The school will also eliminate boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. Pope Francis has attacked gender ideology on many occasions. There has been no comment so far from the Archbishop of Dublin. Gender ideology says your body and your sex (or gender) are unrelated.

St Brigid’s National School in Greystones, Co Wicklow, said the new approach aims to ensure that any children with gender identity issues feel happy and accepted at school. However, five doctors recently resigned from the biggest clinic in England for the treatment of children who report as transgender. They believe that some gay children struggling with their sexuality are being wrongly diagnosed as “transgender” by the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) clinic in London.

Máire Costello, the school principal, said the move was prompted by the school’s student council and had been agreed by the school’s board of management and parents.

“We have children who are questioning their sexual identity. It is happening at an earlier age. We want all our children to have a happy experience in school,” she said.

The school is also phasing out boys’ and girls’ toilets and replacing them with gender neutral versions.