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Outstanding schools and colleges across the UK will be visited by the regulator in the next five academic years, overturning a policy introduced by the former education secretary Michael Gove in 2012 which meant they were exempt from routine inspections.

The shift in policy, which was was first announced by ministers last September and put out for consultation on Friday, follows concerns last year that hundreds of schools given the top rating have not been reassessed by inspectors for years and would mean that schools of all grades will be subject to the same regular scrutiny.

Councillor Abtisam Mohamed, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills at Sheffield Council, said: “Sheffield welcomes a universal approach to school inspection. Parents who rely on Ofsted results when selecting schools will be reassured that every Sheffield school will have received the same, regular inspections. It will be positive to have a complete picture of school performance in our region.”

All outstanding state schools will be visited by Ofsted in the next five years under government proposals to scrap their exemption from inspection. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Under the proposals, the Department for Education said it will return to a regular cycle of inspections from September, visiting state schools rated as outstanding by Ofsted every four to five years.

Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, said: “Making sure that all schools are regularly inspected means they will benefit from the expert insight Ofsted provides when making these decisions.

"We know parents trust Ofsted - and with good reason. It serves a valuable purpose as the only organisation that gives a clear, accessible and impartial view on school and college performance.

"But it's also far more than that - it's a driver of improvement.

Coun Abtisam Mohamed, cabinet member for Education and Skills, welcomed proposals to bring back regular Ofsted inspection for 'outstanding' rated schools

"Although we continue to trust our best schools and colleges to get on with the job of educating, without Ofsted standards they would go unchecked and the exemption meant there is often not an up-to-date picture."

Around 3,700 schools and colleges will be affected by the change, including nearly 30 in Sheffield.

Figures show that, as of May 2018, there were nearly 300 schools which had not been assessed for more than a decade.

Schools that have gone the longest without inspection will be Ofsted’s top priority.

Sheffield councillor welcomes plans to bring back routine Ofsted inspections for ‘outstanding’ schools