by our Industrial reporter @TrinderMatt

NEARLY half of schools rated outstanding, and hence exempt from inspections, have been downgraded by Ofsted this term, according to new figures published today.

The watchdog is inspecting schools previously judged outstanding following concerns that hundreds of institutions given the top rating have not been assessed for years.

Ofsted’s data showed that, during the three months up to the end of November, 47 per cent of schools previously judged as outstanding have been stripped of their top rating following visits this term.