Teachers have spoken out about the “huge and unnecessary pressure” Ofsted is putting on staff after four out of five said a new inspection system should be introduced.

A new National Education Union (NEU) poll shows that 62% of people believe Ofsted has contributed to their poor mental health, while 59% said it has affected their family life.

Of the 4,500 public school teachers surveyed, 90 percent said they believed one-word judgments did not fairly reflect school performance.

Teachers will therefore vote on whether the NEU, the UK’s largest teaching union, should lobby political parties to support its campaign to “Replace Ofsted” before the next general election.

It comes after the current system was disrupted after an unfavorable Ofsted report and growing dissatisfaction among teachers led to the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry. Under constant scrutiny.

Nick Wigmore, a primary school teacher from Rochdale, tells us independent He spent “a lot of time” supporting colleagues affected by the current system.

“In some cases, people are unable to work due to stress and anxiety,” the 51-year-old said. “It’s caused by a combination of workload and pressure. When you trace these things back, they often come from pressure caused by Ofsted.”

He added: “I have numerous examples of teachers and senior leaders in schools speaking in tears about the impact Ofsted has had on their work and home lives.”

He made it clear that teachers calling for Ofsted to be abolished were in no way calling for an end to accountability, but for a fairer and more efficient system.

Ofsted appears every four to five years, delivering one-word judgments and causing distress

Nick Wigmore

“Ofsted comes along every four to five years, delivering a one-word judgment and causing distress. It’s a system that doesn’t work,” he said.

“We spend so much time playing this meaningless accountability game, teaching and learning, but teachers feel they have to.

“It is indeed difficult to find evidence that Ofsted inspections have any effect on raising teaching or education earnings, but there is plenty of evidence that Ofsted has a negative impact on the workforce.”

He added that while abolishing Ofsted would not make teaching easier, it would remove the “fundamental threat” to staff retention and education that “looms over every teacher and support staff”.

Another teacher who asked not to be named told reporters independent The pressure that Ofsted inspections put on teachers is “enormous”, causing a “huge physical and mental burden”.

The language teacher said the reality of the standards means schools often develop time-consuming initiatives that “look good but rarely have any real impact on children”.

She said: “I don’t think anyone wants unmonitored schools. Obviously as a public sector there have to be inspections but the current Ofsted system simply doesn’t work.”

The NEU survey showed that only 3% of teachers believe Ofsted is a “reliable and trustworthy arbiter of standards” and only 4% believe it acts independently of the government.

More than four-fifths (82%) agree with an Ofsted statement that there are so many problems with Ofsted that “it would be better to start over with a new inspection system”.

One respondent said: “Ofsted has created a toxic environment, created damaging stress for staff and ended the careers of good staff.”

Another interviewee, who cried after speaking to an Ofsted inspector last school year, said: “I was so scared that I would say the wrong thing and let the school and my colleagues down.

“I feel very stressed and overwhelmed by this process.”

NEU joint general secretary Daniel Kebede said Ofsted was “out of touch and out of favor” with teachers.

He added: “No amount of rebranding will eradicate the deep-seated view that Ofsted’s days are numbered. If it ever commanded respect, those days are now gone.

“Single-word judgments are damaging and wrong, and our members agree. But Ofsted’s flaws are much more serious. Last year, serious health issues came into sharp public concern.”

Mr Kebede added: “Only radical reform can end the tyranny of inspections.”

An Ofsted spokesman said: “We inspect schools on behalf of children and their parents but we are very concerned about the pressures school staff are facing.

“We already made some changes to our inspections last year to focus on the welfare of school leaders and staff. But we are committed to further building confidence in our work.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “To ensure every child can benefit from a world-class education, we are working with 90 per cent of schools that are now rated good or outstanding, up from 68 per cent in 2010.

“Ofsted is at the heart of driving this improvement. Their independent inspections are vital to ensuring children are safe in schools, parents are informed and departments are able to intervene when absolutely necessary.”

Both the Department for Education and Ofsted have highlighted the Big Listen project, which launched last month to hear from parents, teachers and education experts to understand where more improvements can be made