The NASUWT teachers’ union has passed a motion calling for the abolition of Ofsted, increasing pressure on school inspectors.
Teachers described a “deep fear” of Ofsted inspections at the union’s annual conference in Glasgow on Monday.
Last month, the National Education Union also called for an immediate freeze on inspections.
Ofsted has said most school leaders find inspections “constructive and collaborative”.
Criticism of Ofsted increased following the death of Headmistress Ruth Perry, who took her own life in front of a report downgrading her school from ‘excellent’ to ‘inadequate’.
Her family said her death was a “direct result of the pressure” caused by the school inspectorate.
The motion, passed on Monday, confirmed that Ofsted’s “perceived demands are the biggest contributor to the excessive workload and bureaucracy that plagues teachers’ lives”.
It directed NASUWT’s national executive to work with other education unions to demand an immediate freeze on inspections and to launch a campaign to scrap the system in its “current form” and replace it with a supportive framework.
Primary school teacher Martin Hudson, who submitted the motion, said there was a “real and deep-seated fear” of Ofsted among teachers that was “completely unacceptable”.
“Ofsted is a scourge of the classroom and a destroyer of teachers,” he added.
Gherie Wedeeyesus, a teacher from Brent, said: ‘Let’s put an end to this peddler of misery. Let’s end this reign of terror and abolish Ofsted.”
Other speakers at the conference called for Ofsted to be reformed, not abolished.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has also indicated it could take legal action against Ofsted after failing to halt inspections following Ms Perry’s death.
And last week Headmaster Dr. Martin Hanbury resigned from his role as Ofsted Inspector, telling the BBC he felt his role could “do more harm than good”. He described the one-word rating system as “completely unfit for purpose”.
In early April, 12 chief executives who run more than 200 academies in England said Ofsted needs to reconsider how it conducts inspections.
Public schools in England that are inspected by Ofsted are rated on a four-point scale – ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘needs improvement’ and ‘inadequate’.
The Department for Education and Ofsted have both been asked for comments.
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