Many of the schools previously judged as outstanding had not been inspected for more than a decade

Nearly half of “outstanding” schools – which were previously exempt from inspections – have been downgraded by Ofsted this term, figures show.

The watchdog is inspecting schools previously judged as outstanding which are no longer exempt from visits following concerns that hundreds of schools given the top rating have not been inspected for years.

The Ofsted data shows that, during the three months up to the end of November, 47% of schools previously judged as outstanding have been stripped of their top rating following inspections this term.

Read more in the Independent.

Ofsted’s new inspection data shows nearly half of top schools downgraded, but says that schools fared better this term than pre-pandemic under curriculum-focused framework

Almost half of the previously “outstanding”-rated schools inspected by Ofsted this term have lost their top rating after an exemption on them being checked was lifted.

The watchdog inspected 99 “outstanding” schools between the start of this academic year and the end of November, resulting in 47 per cent losing their top rating.

New data published by Ofsted today shows that 36 per cent of those schools have seen their ratings drop to “good”, 9 per cent have been given a “requires improvement” judgement and 2 per cent were rated “inadequate”.

Read more in tes

Ofsted’s Annual Report presents their findings for the areas they inspect in early years childcare, schools, further education and skills and social care. Published 7 December 2021.

Read more on the government website