The chief inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, has attempted to allay concerns over relationships and sex education by saying there were only “limited expectations” about teaching LGBT awareness in schools.

Especially in the case of young children, it did not “necessarily go any further than saying there are some families with two mummies or two daddies,” she said.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Sunday programme, she acknowledged there were some conservative religious schools that found difficulty complying with equality guidelines – “a bit more than a handful, but not a lot”.

But as part of relationships education, schools should make children aware of different family set-ups, she said.

Children who were gay should know they are “not alone” and no child should grow up with a burden of shame or guilt about who they were, the Ofsted head said.

She was interviewed following recent protests by Muslim and Christian parents outside a Birmingham primary they have accused of promoting homosexuality.

While parents will retain the right to ask their children be withdrawn from sex education, relationships education will be compulsory, according to the latest proposals from the Department for Education.

The Charedi education group, Chinuch UK, has suggested it will be possible to include LGBT content as part of sex, rather than relationships, education and therefore children can opt out of it.

But Mrs Spielman’s comments raise questions whether that will be acceptable to the inspection service.

The two mummies-two daddies approach has been used in Lubavitch schools  but other Charedi groups are adamant that such issues are not appropriate for their schools.