NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman and the general secretaries of NEU, NASUWT, ASCL and VOICE have written to Nick Gibb, the schools minister, urging him to reconsider his decision to withdraw from the OECD TALIS survey.

The letter follows a surprise communication from Department for Education officials announcing that England will not participate in the mini Teaching And Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2022, core survey of ISCED 2 or the optional surveys, in 2024.

The joint union letter notes that this decision was made without any engagement with key stakeholders. Unions are agreed that TALIS provides a unique opportunity to compare policy, practice and experience in England against other comparable jurisdictions. The ongoing pandemic and England's poor performance against other OECD countries makes our participation at this time all the more vital.