The toughest school in Norwich to get into has lost its outstanding rating - despite receiving glowing praise from Ofsted.

Notre Dame High is statistically the most in-demand school in the city, with 30pc of applications unsuccessful - with places at the Catholic school so sought after that it has led to accusations of parents trying to "baptise their children in".

However, following an Ofsted report published this week, it is no longer rated as outstanding - a status it had held for more than a decade.

In its first inspection since converting into an academy in August 2012, the school has been rated as 'good' overall, the second highest rating available.

But despite downgrading the school, inspectors described the school as having "high expectations" of pupils who are receiving "exceptional" personal development.

Tom Pinnington, headteacher of Notre Dame, said: "A one-word judgement can only ever give part of the picture of the life of a school.

"Parents and members of the community can read this report and see that young people flourish at Notre Dame, educationally and more widely, and that they enjoy their time here.

"This is what we experience in school every day.

"I am incredibly proud that many of the strengths of the school have been recognised in the report.

"I am especially pleased that the emphasis that the school places on values, ethos and character development have been highlighted."

Inspectors visited the school over two days in February, publishing their findings earlier this month.

The inspection report is almost exclusively positive, despite the downgrade overall rating.

However, inspectors ruled that the school was not meeting the needs of children with special education needs "in a small number of cases".

The school was being judged under a different framework to when it previously earned outstanding status in 2011.

It comes following fierce criticism of the watchdog's use of single-word judgements following the death of Berkshire headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after her school was given an inadequate rating.

However, the government has said they should stay.