The ending of a lucrative contract with school inspector Ofsted helped push Bristol-based education support services group Tribal into a first-half loss of £8.4m.
The loss, for the six months to June 30, compares to profit of £4.3m in the same period last year. Sales edged ahead from £62.1m to £63.4m. 
The firm blamed Ofsted's recent decision to stop outsourcing school inspections from August 2015. Tribal said the decision had already cost it £9.2m in impairment charges.
The firm’s acquisition of Sky Software and Human Edge in the period meant that certain software products in its portfolio had been “superseded by acquired technology”, it said. This led to an additional £1.8m impairment charge.
Chief executive Keith Evans said: “Tribal made solid progress in the first half of the year, increasing revenues and adjusted profits while investing in the international infrastructure and products that will drive Tribal’s sustainable growth.
“Recent bolt-on acquisitions, which have also enhanced our technology and market reach, are integrating well. With a healthy pipeline of opportunities, our expectations for the full year remain unchanged.”
