Commenting on the publication of the OECD’s Education at a Glance report, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers Union, said:

“Today’s report is another reminder of the parlous state in which the previous government left the education system in this country and the deep-rooted and profound nature of the problems it left behind it.

“It lends further weight to our calls for the introduction of a national workforce strategy to tackle these critical issues and to secure the foundations of excellence and equity in the education system.

“OECD data confirms that teachers in the UK are among the most likely internationally to leave the profession, with resignation rates far in excess of those seen in other comparable countries. We do not believe it is any coincidence that unlike in most other OECD jurisdictions, teachers in England and Wales experienced real terms decreases in their salaries between 2015 and 2023 and that teachers in the UK have to deal with some of the largest class sizes across the OECD.

“The OCED’s report underscores how inequalities affect children’s attainment to a far greater extent in the UK than in other countries.

“Where a child lives, parental backgrounds and family wealth all have a greater impact on how well a child achieves educationally than in most other OECD countries.

“There is no justification for poorer children in the UK to continue to have their lives blighted by this disadvantage or suffer a postcode lottery. Data from the recent GCSE and A-level results suggested that the attainment gap is growing wider, not diminishing.

“There are lessons from other countries which can and should be learned on steps which can be taken to close these attainment gaps. It is a long-term task, but achievable with public investment directed where it is needed most and action to restore the morale and status of the education workforce.”