Whatever we imagine the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) shows us, we are now able to see it.
As a way of celebrating the hard work of engaging with the process, and as a more oblique look at the quality of teaching and the student experience in every part of sector, the TEF as released is surprisingly limited. Seeing just the three metallic ratings – offering us the perfectly hideous “triple-gold” terminology – leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
In the spirit of public service, I’ve had a crack at answering them
So the mood at OfS very much seems to be that a large number of appeals are testament to the seriousness with which providers take the TEF process. The impression is very much not one of a full on toys-out-of-the-pram meltdown over a poor rating, more a specific and limited appeal on a single aspect or part of a judgement. Indeed, we understand that the number of appeals based on the scary “needs improvement” rating is less than those with a bronze or silver.
