Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that:-

(i)         the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a rating system introduced by the Government that grades universities based on how they score on a number of key metrics, and that institutions deemed to have high quality teaching will be permitted to raise their tuition fees beyond the current cap of £9000 a year;

(ii)        the Teaching Survey 2017 revealed that “UK staff strongly oppose the National Student Survey and the teaching excellence framework, claiming that the latter will do nothing to improve the status or quality of teaching”; and

(iii)       both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University have declared they will be taking part in TEF, despite strong opposition from the Students’ Unions at both institutions and from the National Union of Students;

(b)       believes that:-

(i)         higher education is a public good that benefits society as a whole, and so should be free and accessible to all regardless of their background;

(ii)        TEF is a regressive step that will lead to the further marketisation of higher education, turning students into consumers; and

(iii)       an alternate model for improving the higher education experience and teaching should be found that works for students, staff, and Sheffield; and

(c)        resolves to:-

(i)         place on record its opposition to TEF, and to the marketisation of higher education more generally;

(ii)        commend the University of Sheffield Students’ Union for their positive and engaging ‘Shef Better Than TEF’ campaign, as a result of which the University of Sheffield has agreed not to raise tuition fees for current students, and further, commend Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union on their hard efforts on raising awareness of TEF and lobbying their University; and

(iii)       request that copies of this motion be forwarded to the Vice Chancellors of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, as well as both University Student Unions.