A British schoolchild has been officially allowed to identify as a wolf, the Mail can reveal.
The secondary-school pupil is said to suffer from 'species dysphoria', which is when someone claims their body belongs to a different species.
Teachers are said to be supporting the youngster.
Growing numbers of schoolchildren are said to be taking on the personalities of creatures including foxes, dragons, birds, snakes, sharks and even dinosaurs.
However, clinical neuropsychologist Dr Tommy MacKay insisted last night: 'There is no such condition in science as 'species dysphoria'. It's not surprising that we are seeing this in an age when many people want to identify as something other than they are.
A British schoolboy suffers from 'species dysphoria' and identifies as a wolf
'Now we have a council which appears to accept at face value that a child identifies as a wolf, rather than being told to snap out of it and get to grips with themselves, which would be the common-sense approach.'
Confirmation of the first-known case in Scotland in which a school has recognised that a pupil identifies as an animal was revealed in official documents.
The Mail knows the name of the council involved but has decided not to disclose it to protect the identity of the child concerned.
The local authority said the pupil belonged to a group who called themselves 'furries' and identified with 'animal persona'. The council said it offered 'personal support' and 'more specific support' from a 'wellbeing worker', including counselling and help with learning, adding: 'There is very little specific guidance on species dysphoria.'
It explained that it followed Scottish government guidance called Getting It Right For Every Child (Girfec), and used a 'wellbeing wheel' to support pupils regardless of barriers to learning or challenges they face.
The wellbeing wheel is a diagram used in Girfec guidance that emphasises the importance of helping children to 'overcome inequalities' and ensure that their voices are heard in 'decisions that affect their life, with support where appropriate'.
The council was contacted for further comment.
The news comes after a school in Aberdeenshire had to deny rumours last year that a pupil there was identifying as a cat, and had been given a litter tray in the toilets.
It emerged earlier this year that groups of TikTok users were hosting meet-ups across Britain for those who identified as animals.
The local authority followed Scottish government guidance and used a 'wellbeing wheel' to support pupils regardless of barriers to learning or challenges they face
Meghan Gallacher, a Conservative MSP, said: 'Teachers who are already under significant pressure due to SNP cuts should not feel like they have to tiptoe around issues in the classroom.
'With all the other challenges facing schools, ministers should ensure that teachers feel confident that they can take a common-sense approach when these situations occur.'
The Scottish Government declined to comment. It is understood that there is no guidance – or plans to formulate any – specifically to support people who claim to have species dysphoria.
The time has come to say enough is enough — or meekly succumb to this howling lunacy
by Christopher McGovern for the Scottish Daily Mail
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad! These words of wisdom from Ancient Greece pretty much sum up leadership in Scottish education.
Believe it or not, what amounts to ‘protected status’ has now been awarded to a Scottish secondary school pupil who identifies as a wolf. The technical term for this latest example of educational lunacy is ‘species dysphoria’.
Accommodating and excusing naughty behaviour by dressing it up in pseudo- medical terminology is all the rage amongst educators across the UK.
It is part of the ‘woke’, politically correct, victimhood industry that currently defines too much schooling.
Never mind Scotland’s abysmal collapse in educational standards according to international tests, what matters is that anyone self-identifying as a wolf or other creature, is to be respected and protected.
Woe betide anyone seeking employment in a Scottish school who is not prepared to kowtow to this bonkers equality agenda.
The policies are all well-intentioned, of course... But, as we know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
It is not so long ago that a sensible pupil in an English school was reprimanded for questioning a classmate who identified as a cat. ‘How can you identify as a cat when you are a girl?’ asked the 13-year-old.
So, where do we go from here? The time has arrived for sane parents and pupils to say that enough is enough, writes Christopher McGovern (stock image)
She added that such an identification was ‘crazy’. In response her teacher said her attitude was ‘despicable’.
‘How dare you – you’ve just really upset someone’ by ‘questioning their identity’.
The exchange continued and, fortunately, was recorded. It was not a made-up hoax to fire-up the media. This is real, fascist Wokeism in action.
The latest council in question has told the Daily Mail its policy on ‘species dysphoria’ is guided by the Scottish Government’s GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) strategy.
Central to the strategy is that ‘children have their rights upheld at all times’ and that they are ‘to be treated with kindness, dignity and respect at all times’.
Who could possibly disagree with these sentiments? Sadly, however, the words disguise how the strategy translates into classroom practice.
It’s okay to identify as a wolf and your choice will be respected, whatever it is. And just in case there is any doubt about identifying as a wolf, the council is backed up by the Scottish Government’s promotion of a ‘Wellbeing Wheel’.
The council is falling back on what can be termed the post-War ‘Nuremberg Defence’ of ‘only obeying orders’.
So, where do we go from here? The time has arrived for sane parents and pupils to say that enough is enough.
Either they revolt or they follow the wolf and succumb to howling lunacy.
Christopher McGovern is chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and an ex-adviser to the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street.