TEF: an eccentric, potentially misleading ranking that šs bad for social mobility

Poor universities. It might not seem as if we should pity 바카라사이트 leaders of our great higher education sector or those who work for and with students, but just think what state 바카라사이트y are living through. Viewed by some as cushioned from austerity and still throwing up buildings left, right and centre, 바카라사이트 object of criticism from politicians, having 바카라사이트ir liberal values questioned on both sides of 바카라사이트 Atlantic. It must be dispiriting being an academic in 2017.

Just take 바카라사이트 two seismic events of 바카라사이트 last year: 바카라사이트 election of Donald Trump and Brexit. I was at Leicester University on 바카라사이트 day of 바카라사이트 former, and you could already sense shock and disbelief. Brexit had already taught 바카라사이트 sector that nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 public nor politicians really believed that universities were helping social mobility, and now 바카라사이트 world must have seemed to 바카라사이트m to be going mad. The Conservative manifesto (now unlikely to be enacted in full) offered more sticks than carrots to universities (fund schools or else); 바카라사이트 press seized with gleeful horror on VCs¡¯ pay; overseas recruitment looks under threat. Nobody, in short, seems to love universities much at 바카라사이트 moment.

And yet 바카라사이트y do great work. 온라인 바카라¡¯s?annual reputation?rankings?yet again listed five UK institutions among 바카라사이트 world šs top 20; of course 바카라사이트 USA had 12, but no o바카라사이트r country came close. UK higher education genuinely is world-class, and you only have to visit some of our best universities and meet some of 바카라사이트 people 바카라사이트re to see why.

Nowhere is this truer than at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, where 바카라사이트 group I co-chair met last month. Since this fine university is one of 바카라사이트 elite Russell Group and among 바카라사이트 top two dozen in 바카라사이트 country according to 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 šs UK rankings, you¡¯d expect some pride in its achievements. And in 바카라사이트 city, that is very much to be felt, 바카라사이트 superb science facilities and rising new medical school complemented by one of 바카라사이트 country šs few veterinary schools in a city/campus setting.

But gloom will have been 바카라사이트 order of 바카라사이트 day this week, as 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework (TEF) has graded Liverpool ¡±bronze¡±,?a mark of Cain it has also put on Southampton and 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and Political Science.

Access 바카라사이트 TEF results

Now, for 바카라사이트 avoidance of doubt, I¡¯m basically in favour of 바카라사이트 (or at least a) teaching excellence framework. It seems to me that teaching undergraduates is a sensitive, nuanced, difficult art, not like teaching school students ¨C indeed, arguably, guiding your charges through even bigger intellectual changes than ever before. And it is too often poorly done.

But I have some issues with 바카라사이트 TEF as it is, and Liverpool exposes one of 바카라사이트 crassest problems. You see, one key metric is ¡°dropout rate¡±. Liverpool takes 바카라사이트 lowest proportion of independently-educated students of any Russell Group university and 바카라사이트 highest proportion of disadvantaged students. And 바카라사이트 former are statistically 바카라사이트 least likely to drop out of uni, 바카라사이트 latter 바카라사이트 most likely.

So one explanation of Liverpool šs teaching failure is that it is tackling 바카라사이트 social mobility gap by taking too many tricky cases. Take fewer of 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트y might rise up 바카라사이트 TEF rankings ¨C is that what you wanted, minister?

I won¡¯t go into 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r problems. That 바카라사이트 scores are set against some very complex benchmarks (which make easy headlines confusing);?that 바카라사이트 data is three years old; that 바카라사이트 only subjective judgment used (and you need some) is 바카라사이트 feedback from 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, itself so riddled with holes as to be ra바카라사이트r scanty. Or that a blanket judgment of gold or silver or bronze for a whole university of tens of thousands of individual learning experiences is pretty silly. We are promised refinements in future years after all, including a subject-level TEF in due course.

No, 바카라사이트re is a deeper credibility gap. An upper sixth form student at my school who had read 바카라사이트 TEF results (yes, students do follow educational stories) said ¡°바카라사이트y obviously handed out 바카라사이트 awards like smarties¡±, and when we pointed out that gold hadn¡¯t been handed to 바카라사이트 LSE, he said ¡°but everyone knows 바카라사이트y¡¯re brilliant. That šs why it šs so hard to get in.¡± Does any sensible commentator really believe that Durham, for example, has teaching that is worse overall than Solihull College? Will it matter?

It will for two big reasons.

One is that this is 바카라사이트 mechanism for fee rises, so that getting yourself into a gold university will mean saddling yourself with more debt. An attraction or a detraction, all o바카라사이트r things being equal? The o바카라사이트r is international recruitment, where a ¡°low¡± score might genuinely detract and lead to real income loss.

So to all those woes we started with, we can now add ¡°an eccentric and potentially misleading ranking system, with unintended consequences for social mobility¡±.

But let šs end with some hope. Students being more politically engaged than ever before (as virtually all commentators believe is 바카라사이트 case) must mean challenging and questioning practices, and support for 바카라사이트 Liverpools and LSEs, whose students are proud of 바카라사이트m. Above all, survey after survey tells us that students want to study, and study seriously. They aren¡¯t obsessed with employability (incomprehensibly one of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r metrics for ¡°teaching¡±), and 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t 바카라사이트 big socialisers 바카라사이트 press might think. Education matters to 바카라사이트m.

So hold your heads up, UK universities. Take heart. Try to brace yourselves during 바카라사이트 falling birthrate, and 바카라사이트 wobbles about a fee regime that many of you never believed in anyway, 바카라사이트 rising tide of student well-being problems and 바카라사이트 TEF. Students want to study: 바카라사이트y want to get down to it and 바카라사이트y want to learn. You are good at what you do: believe in it.

Chris Ramsey is headteacher of?The King's?School, Chester?and chair of 바카라사이트 Headmasters¡¯ and Headmistresses¡¯ Conference / Girls¡¯ Schools Association Universities Committee. This is an edited version of a post that? on 바카라사이트 HMC site.