University Alliance and its members have secured significant changes to the Office for Students’ (OfS) proposed Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), following sustained pressure from across the sector.
Working in partnership with other mission groups, we collectively challenged proposals that would have redefined Bronze, currently recognised as a mark of good quality teaching, to one that reflects only meeting the minimum regulatory threshold.
The OfS had proposed linking Bronze ratings to interventions such as restrictions on student number growth and access to funding, creating a disproportionate risk for institutions even where they were delivering teaching that meets established quality expectations.
Concessions made include:
- Bronze ratings will not normally be treated as an automatic indicator of regulatory risk in the first cycle, with the OfS confirming that only “Requires improvement” ratings will typically trigger concerns about breach
- The most consequential measures, including student number controls, funding links and degree awarding powers, will now be subject to further consultation on how they are applied, rather than imposed in a fixed or automatic way at this stage
- The OfS has strengthened the role of institutional context and improvement activity, recognising the need to take account of providers’ circumstances and demonstrable efforts to improve student outcomes
- Plans for a blunt overall TEF rating have been dropped entirely, following widespread sector concern. Instead, providers will only get ratings for experience and outcomes.
These changes represent a clear shift from the original direction of travel and reflect the impact of advocacy of Alliance institutions as well as coordinated engagement from across the sector.
University Alliance CEO, Vanessa Wilson said:
“We represent universities with some of the best teaching in the country, so we strongly support robust regulation and the raising of standards across the sector. All students should expect to receive the highest standard of teaching and experience, innovation and care which is what our members are proud to stand for.
“However, regulation must be knowledgeable, appropriate and fair to institutions that are supporting students who experience the greatest barriers to their education. These new proposed changes to the Teaching Excellence Framework move us closer to a system that is ambitious for quality, fair to institutions, and focused on improving outcomes for all students.
“University Alliance will continue to work with partners across the sector to ensure the final framework drives genuine improvement in teaching quality, without creating perverse incentives or unintended consequences for the very students who stand to benefit from a university education and experience.”
Read University Alliance’s response to the OfS’ consultation on the future approach to quality regulation.
