A 10-year-old boy with gender dysphoria has started the new school year dressed as a girl.

The child, a year six pupil at a school in Worcester, has been diagnosed with the condition by experts and decided during the summer break to return to class as a girl, The Worcester News reported.

The newspaper published an interview with the boy's mother but has not named the family or the school in question.

The 36-year-old mother described her child as a "girlie girl" in the wrong body. She said: "She is within her mind a girl but she has a boy's body."

The school's headteacher said: "Our school operates an inclusive policy and works hard to ensure all our pupils have the support they need. As part of this, we feel it is important to encourage discussion and promote understanding.

"As a school, we strive to make sure that all our children get the most possible out of their time here and a key part of this is helping pupils understand that all their peers are unique.

"We have very low incidents of bullying and this is in part thanks to our policy of equality and diversity."

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire County Council said an assembly was held on the first day of term to explain the situation to school pupils.