THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been urged to identify Ofsted inspections as “considerable factors in work-related suicides.”

Delegates at the National Education Union’s (NEU) annual conference backed the measure in a motion today.

They agreed to campaign against the HSE’s “failure to recognise that work-related stress” resultsfrom incidents such as Ofsted inspections.

The NEU is to ask other unions and the TUC to join in lobbying the HSE to make changes within its RIDDOR (reporting of injuries) guidance to ensure work-related suicides are reported and investigated, with recommendations for good practice.

Brent delegate Hank Roberts urged delegates to take direct action to abolish Ofsted.

“We have to bring Ofsted down,” he said.

“We have to use direct action, we cannot just wait for the next death and the death after that and so forth.

“We have to stand and fight, it’s absolutely necessary for our lives — Ofsted must be destroyed.”