Further education colleges celebrate TEF ratings

Further education colleges across the country are celebrating today as the Office for Students' Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) ratings are published.

The ratings, which are awarded by a panel of independent academic experts and student representatives, are designed to identify excellent undergraduate teaching and student outcomes and help prospective students to choose their courses.

In colleges with a gold rating student experience and outcomes are typically outstanding, in silver rated colleges student experience and outcomes are typically very high-quality, and in bronze the student experience and outcomes are typically high-quality with some very high-quality features.

Around 39 colleges have been awarded a rating in this year’s TEF, six of which were gold, 22 were silver and 11 were bronze.

Dr Arti Saraswat, Senior Policy Manager, Higher Education at Association of Colleges, said: “I want to offer my congratulations to all the further education colleges who have received a rating from the Office for Students in this year’s exercise. Today’s TEF results are a testimony to the excellent teaching and positive student experience for those studying higher education at further education colleges. Participation in TEF is not mandatory for many FE colleges however colleges are deeply committed to delivering high quality teaching and delivering positive outcomes for students.”

The following colleges received ratings:

Gold

Weston College of Further and Higher Education

South Devon College

City College Plymouth

Morley College Limited

The Northern School of Art

Blackpool and Fylde College

Silver

Cornwall College

Solihull College and University Centre

The Oldham College

Middlesbrough College

Bridgwater and Taunton College

Lincoln College

Leeds College of Building

New Collage Durham

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education

Myerscough College

The Sheffield College

DN Colleges Group

City College Norwich

Bradford College

York College

TEC Partnership

University Centre Peterborough

Truro and Penwith College

Furness College

RNN Group

Loughborough College

DCG (Derby College)

Bronze

Blackburn College

Trafford College Group

Barnsley College

Tyne Coast College

Farnborough College of Technology

City of Sunderland College

Nottingham College

Leicester College

Reaseheath College

East Sussex College

Heart of Yorkshire Education Group