Response to outcomes of TEF and student outcomes consultations

26 July 2022

As the Office for Students (OfS) today (26 July) laid out its approach to the future of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and its approach to monitoring providers against its condition B3 (student outcomes), Sarah Stevens, Director of Policy at the Russell Group said:

“We support the OfS’s efforts to set challenging baselines that will ensure all students are entitled to a minimum quality of provision. However, this needs to be delivered in a proportionate and risk-based manner so low-risk providers can get on with the job of providing students with a high-quality experience. In particular, we are concerned that plans to change the way courses are prioritised for investigation each year will increase the burden on low-risk providers, and hope the OfS can move to a more consistent and transparent approach.

“The plans to take into account absolute values and the increased weighting of the provider submission when assessing a provider’s performance will help ensure TEF awards are more robust. However, the TEF remains a significantly burdensome activity and we are concerned that the implementation timeline does not give the sector enough time to fully engage with the changes announced. With the TEF submission period beginning in September, it’s also vital that the OfS publish detailed guidance to providers as soon as possible.”

Notes

Russell Group universities deliver strong outcomes for students, with 82% of working graduates in highly-skilled employment after 15 months of graduating in 2019/20.