Andrew Cohen, the president of the Federation of Synagogues, has urged Education Secretary Damian Hinds to exempt strictly Orthodox schools from having to teach about same-sex relationships.

Only this week, chief inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, reiterated her view that schools should talk about same-sex couples, in response to protests by Muslim and Christian parents at a primary school in Birmingham which has taught about LGBT rights and gender identity.

In his letter, Mr Cohen wrote that Charedi schools “produce tolerant, respectful and open-minded adults who interact naturally with, and integrate easily into, wider society”.

But he added: “Our traditions demand that the teaching of issues of personal intimacy should be left entirely to the parents, who have always decided the appropriate age and the appropriate way in which our children are educated in these matters.”

Mr Cohen argued that “teaching tolerance for all and firm anti-bullying policies, that have always been an intrinsic part of Charedi education, in no way require that innocent children receive explicit LGBT instruction”.

It should be clear that “under no circumstances will Charedi schools dilute their passionately held beliefs and sexualise their children, simply to accommodate ever-shifting public perceptions and the ever-changing social environment”.

MPs are due to hold a debate on Monday over whether parents should be able to withdraw children from relationships education, as they can from sex education.

The debate was triggered by a public petition signed by more than 100,000 people in the wake of the publication of draft guidelines from the Department for Education suggesting that LGBT issues should be part of the RSE curriculum.

Mr Cohen urged Mr Hinds to ensure “there will be no new, unnecessary and intolerant usurping of the fundamental right of parents to educate their children in the manner that they as parents, and not the state, know best for their own children’s development, education and spiritual well-being”.