Eighty state schools are allowing boys to wear skirts and girls to wear trousers under new government-funded "gender neutral" uniform policies.

The schools have either dropped references to girls and boys in their dress codes or have rewritten their uniform policy to say that pupils as young as five can dress in the uniform in which they feel most comfortable.

It is part of a government-funded drive for schools to be more sensitive to "trans" children who are questioning their gender identity.

Diversity campaigners have warned schools that current policies risk discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils (LGBT).

Julie Robinson, general secretary at the Independent Schools Council, said public and private schools would soon follow suit and that some had already adjusted their policies to accommodate transgender children.

But Christian organisations have raised concerns that introducing a choice of uniform could confuse young children and lead older pupils to question their identities at a time when they need reassurance.

Allens Croft School in Birmingham is believed to be the first state primary to declare that it has a "gender neutral" uniform. Under the rules, which are the same for both sexes, boys can wear a grey or black skirt or pinafore while girls can wear grey or black trousers.