Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong)
This notice explains how the Central Statistics Office (CSO) uses personal data in the Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong). This notice also provides information, as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
TALIS Starting Strong is an international large-scale survey of staff and leaders in Early Learning (ELC) and Care which is conducted every six years under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
TALIS Starting Strong compares early childhood settings within and across countries, highlighting diversity within systems and identifying points of commonality. Information gained from the data informs and facilitates policy discussions about staff’s working conditions and training needs, helping to enhance the overall quality of the workforce.
Under Section 24 of the 1993 Statistics Act you are invited to undertake the survey on a voluntary basis and any information so obtained shall be subject to the restrictions on use and prohibition on disclosure of information specified in sections 32, 33, 34 and 35 of the 1993 Statistics Act.
A Field Trial was carried out in March and April 2023 following the same procedures as outlined in this document. Learnings from the Field Trial, including changes to the content of questionnaires, have been applied in the current survey.
The personal data collected will solely be used for the purposes of the Survey. It will be stored and retained in line with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The legal basis for the processing is Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR, and Section 38(1)(b) of the Data Protection Act 2018 – i.e., processing for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.
The results are only ever made available to the public in aggregate form and we make sure that it is impossible for individuals or childcare setting to be identified.
Anonymised survey information may also be provided to other government departments, approved organisations and approved researchers for statistical purposes only. An Officer of Statistics appointed by CSO will have limited access to assess the quality of the survey operation only and all data collected for that purpose will be anonymised.
There is wide international usage from other Government Departments and research bodies who may access anonymised data from the OECD.
Yes. All information supplied to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is treated as strictly confidential. The Statistics Act, 1993 sets stringent confidentiality standards: Information collected may be used only for statistical purposes, and no details that might be related to an identifiable person or business undertaking may be divulged to any other government department or body.
Data collected during the Survey will be anonymised at its conclusion. Both the anonymised data held by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the data held by CSO that you provide in this survey will be held no longer than October 2025, subject to survey requirements.
Selected childcare settings are asked to provide name, year of birth and role of all employees.
Gemma O’Connell Duff, TALIS Survey, Central Statistics Office, Skehard Road, Mahon, Cork, T12 X00E.
Telephone: 021 453 5110
Email: talis@cso.ie
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights:
However, because your data is processed for statistical purposes these rights may be limited in accordance with Article 89 of the GDPR. This is due to the fact that the exercise of any of these rights may render impossible, or seriously impair, the achievement of the statistical processing and such restriction maybe necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.