Teachers pass vote of no confidence in Michael Gove Mrs Roberts told the conference: "We have no confidence in Mr Gove or Sir Michael Wilshaw. If any of us behaved to pupils as they have behaved to the profession we would have been sacked. It is understood to be the first time that ATL has passed a resolution of no confidence in a Secretary of State. Mr Gove has stoked teachers' anger in the past year over his proposed changes to their pay and pensions, as well as major reforms to exams and the curriculum. Teachers have also expressed concerns about Ofsted inspections, which they claim are hugely stressful. The decision promises to escalate the tensions between the Government and main teaching unions following a serious breakdown in the relationship in recent years. It comes after Mr Gove attacked "ultra-militants" in the teaching profession over the weekend. In a newspaper article, he said teachers opposed his new plans to pay good teachers more money because they "resent the recognition of excellence." The National Union of Teachers and NASUWT - the two biggest teaching organisations - will stage their own meetings over Easter weekend. The NUT will also call for the resignation of Mr Gove and Sir Michael. But speaking at the ATL conference, Jesse Ratcliff, a Lincolnshire-based teacher, urged caution, saying ATL was a moderate union and suggesting that members should wait until the next general election in 2015 to show their feelings. The resolution was passed overwhelmingly by members attending the conference. Speaking after the vote was passed, Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: "Michael Gove and Sir Michael Wilshaw are like Blood Brothers, with a pact to suck the life and hope out of our education system and the teachers who work within it." Dr Bousted said teachers felt demoralised and "do not see the reality of Mr Gove and Sir Michael's criticism and constant denigration in the work that they do." When you've tried your hardest and you keep being ignored, then, in the end, you lose confidence and that's what conference has overwhelmingly said today. A Department for Education spokesman said: "For too long other countries have been outpacing us. This ambition is surely something the ATL should be supporting. Good teaching is critical to the success of our education system and we are making sure that it is properly recognised. We have put in place measures specifically to support teachers through increased funding for disadvantaged pupils and better opportunities for professional development. We have significantly reduced bureaucracy, given more autonomy to schools than ever before and we are making sure good teaching can be better recognised through the pay system.