Top UK universities miss out on gold award in controversial Tef test

Many of the UK’s leading universities have failed to achieve the highest awards in a controversial assessment of teaching quality that has sent shockwaves through the traditional higher education hierarchy.

Among the elite Russell Group universities, just eight out of 21 institutions that took part in the government’s “teaching excellence framework” (Tef) were awarded the gold rating, while 10 got silver.

In one of the biggest upsets, the world-renowned London School of Economics, which is currently rated second in the QS global rankings for social sciences, was awarded the lowest bronze rating.

The universities of Liverpool and Southampton, both highly regarded and popular members of the Russell Group, were also awarded bronze – all outperformed on the Tef measure by newer universities including Coventry and Nottingham Trent.

Experts in the sector urged prospective students to treat the results with caution. Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute thinktank said: “While it tells us a lot of useful things, none of them accurately reflects precisely what goes on in lecture halls.”

The Russell Group said the Tef was not a measure of “absolute quality”. The group has raised concerns about the process used to arrive at the decision to award either gold, silver or bronze which will be considered in a forthcoming independent review of the framework.

The acting director of the Russell Group, Dr Tim Bradshaw, said: “Our members provide an outstanding student experience where teaching is enhanced by access to world-class research and facilities.

“This is a trial year. We need to recognise that developing a robust Tef that is truly reflective of the UK’s excellent higher education sector will take time.”

The Tef was introduced by the government in an attempt to provide a picture of teaching quality and learning outcomes in higher education to help prospective students make better-informed choices about which university to attend. The government has indicated that universities that have a Tef award will be able to increase tuition fees in line with inflation.

Sir Christopher Snowden, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton, expressed deep concerns about the Tef and said his institution would be appealing against its bronze award. “It is hard to have confidence in a teaching excellence framework which appears devoid of any meaningful assessment of teaching,” he said.

“I know I am not alone in having deep concerns about its subjective assessment, its lack of transparency and with different benchmarks for each institution, removing any sense of equity and equality of assessment.”

A total of 295 universities, colleges and alternative providers of higher education volunteered to take part in the first year of the framework – of the 134 universities and specialist higher education institutions that were given ratings, 32% (43) scored gold, 50% (67) silver and 18% (24) got bronze.

Among other prestigious institutions to receive a bronze award was the Soas University of London. Oxford and Cambridge both got gold, as did Nottingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Imperial College, Birmingham and Exeter.

The rankings are awarded by a panel of 27 assessors and are based on statistics including dropout rates, student satisfaction survey results and graduate employment rates – including the proportion of graduates who go on to work in high-skill jobs.

While critics argue that none of the indicators directly measure teaching quality, the results are expected to nevertheless have a significant impact on student recruitment, in particular in the international market.

LSE’s interim director, Prof Julia Black, said her institution would be working with the government to review and revise the Tef process. “We are proud of the school’s exceptional graduate record, as evidenced by our students’ high attainment and outstanding performance in highly skilled job markets, which unfortunately are not captured by the Tef metrics.

Among the winners, Prof John Latham – vice-chancellor of Coventry University, said the Tef results were a wake-up call for the sector. “Voices of concern about the simplicity of the teaching excellence framework measures don’t change the fact that a new order has been established in university rankings.

“It’s a clear message that universities must work harder for a recognised environment of success and that students are looking for more than historic reputation.”

Madeleine Atkins, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which published the Tef results on Thursday, said: “Students currently invest significant amounts of time, and indeed money and incurring debt, in their higher education.

“They are quite right to expect a high-quality academic experience. To hold any Tef award universities and colleges must already have cleared a high bar. The Tef measures excellence over and above this bar.”

Universities minister Jo Johnson said: “The teaching excellence framework is refocusing the sector’s attention on teaching, putting in place incentives that will raise standards across the sector and giving teaching the same status as research.”

The National Union of Students dismissed the Tef results as “another meaningless university ranking system which no one asked for”.

Sorana Vieru, NUS vice president for higher education, said: “As it stands, the Tef doesn’t offer students more information but less, by painting an inaccurate picture of universities. When the independent review of the Tef is undertaken we hope to see renewed opposition from across the sector, with the voices of students placed front and centre.

“We need an alternative for holding institutions accountable and offering real information to university applicants.”