MOST college staff want Ofsted inspections to be abolished, a damning union study has found.

A poll of more than 1,000 University and College Union (UCU) members in the further education (FE) sector suggests nearly four in five believe the Ofsted term “inadequate” is unacceptable.

Ofsted inspections create a “major health and safety risk” for staff who experience significant levels of stress and anxiety as a result of the process, according to a report from the union.

The watchdog has come under greater scrutiny following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her school from “outstanding” to “inadequate.”

A coroner concluded the inspection “contributed” to her death.

The survey of UCU members in FE found 57 per cent believe Ofsted inspections should be abolished.

More than four in five said Ofsted inspections cause them anxiety and only a fifth believe they raise standards.

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has launched the watchdog’s Big Listen public consultation, which closes at the end of the month, to seek views on the inspectorate.

But the Department for Education (DfE) said it had no plans to remove single-phrase Ofsted judgments despite calls for them to be scrapped.

The report from the UCU recommends that Ofsted inspections should be replaced with a collaborative peer-to-peer model that is valued and trusted by staff, students and parents.

“There is a crisis of confidence in the Ofsted inspection process,” it added.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “College staff are clear that Ofsted inspections need to be abolished. 

“Our members say inspections are traumatic, and especially after the tragic death of Ruth Perry, we need an end to the stress and anxiety they induce.

“This report also affirms that the case for scrapping the ‘inadequate’ ruling is incontrovertible. 

“It is simply unacceptable for the government to rule out replacing it before Ofsted’s consultation has even finished.

“We now need an end to the tyranny of Ofsted inspections.”

Sir Martyn will address hundreds of school leaders at the NAHT annual conference in Newport in Wales this weekend.

Delegates at the school leaders’ union conference are due to debate a series of motions on inspection and accountability on Saturday.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We remain committed to Ofsted conducting inspections as an effective way of holding up good standards in education.”