The education secretary Bridget Phillipson is launching a consultation this week to end the subsidy that independent schools are awarded for Ofsted inspections, The Telegraph has reported.

Around half of England’s 2,500 independent schools rely on Ofsted for inspections, and state subsidies mean two thirds of inspection costs are effectively discounted.

If implemented, the new policy could mean independent schools being charged up to three times more for Ofsted inspections.