The TEF – Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework – was introduced in 2016 and aims to measure the things students care about to ensure a high quality experience.
It has been designed and implemented by the Government and measures the following:
- excellent teaching
- supportive environments and ways of learning
- whether studying has enabled students to fulfil their potential (usually in employment or further study and training)
The Framework uses scores from the National Student Survey together with information on graduate employment and numbers of students who withdraw from their course to give each institution a rating. This is supported by a narrative submitted by the University that provides evidence of teaching excellence across the institution.
To be considered for a TEF award, the University first must meet a national set of baseline quality requirements. The TEF looks at excellence above and beyond these existing high standards.
The TEF awards are decided by an independent panel of experts which consists of students, academics and employer representatives. Each institution is given one of the following ratings:
| Rating | Description |
|---|
 |
Gold
The student experience and student outcomes are typically outstanding.
|
 |
Silver
The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
|
 |
Bronze
The student experience and student outcomes are typically high quality, and there are some very high quality features.
|
What does this mean for Worcester?
Following its submission in 2023, the University was awarded a Silver rating in the TEF.
The TEF review panel said "that the very high quality and outstanding features apply to all the provider’s groups of students including students from under-represented groups" and that there is "evidence of very high quality across all groups of students and for all courses and subjects."
The TEF 2023 ratings dashboard provides a breakdown of the ratings by aspect, by provider characteristics, and by student characteristics.
TEF in the future
More information on the TEF is available on the Office for Students website.