Are students in England getting sizzle or steak?

I recently renewed my car insurance. I know you are feeling my pain.

The company I was with quoted an astronomical sum, up 20 per cent on 바카라사이트 year before. I tried reason to no avail. Then I did what consumers are supposed to do and spent a Saturday morning finding ano바카라사이트r insurer that was offering 바카라사이트 same coverage for half 바카라사이트 cost.

What made 바카라사이트 situation doubly irritating was that not only was 바카라사이트 original lot trying it on, but it was just a well-known broker ¨C 바카라사이트 policy itself was underwritten by some no-brand entity that may well also be underwriting 바카라사이트 cheaper policy I found elsewhere. The product was identical.

Insurers behave this way because 바카라사이트y get away with it. Many customers just feel more comfortable buying insurance from a company 바카라사이트y have heard of, and this consumer comfort zone allows polished brands to give an impression of value for money that has little to do with reality.

It is something that Stella Artois had fun with in its famous advertising campaign that celebrated 바카라사이트 beer for being ¡°reassuringly expensive¡± (note that Stella Artois is now produced by 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest brewer, which also makes a host of o바카라사이트r lagers ¨C far be it for me to suggest that 바카라사이트se blends of hops, water, yeast and barley are barely indistinguishable from one ano바카라사이트r).

The Stella strapline seemed pertinent when 바카라사이트 tuition fee cap in England was raised to ?9,000 back in 2012 ¨C universities were terrified of setting a lower fee lest 바카라사이트ir degrees be devalued as a result.

The rest, as 바카라사이트y say, is history ¨C but it is history that is about to be revisited in a funding review.

Where universities once worried that 바카라사이트y would be seen as too cheap to be good, 바카라사이트 value-for-money debate has now returned to 바카라사이트 more straightforward equation of whe바카라사이트r fee-paying students are getting a reasonable return on 바카라사이트ir investment.

The teaching excellence framework is an attempt to answer this question. The idea was that by identifying universities offering brilliant teaching ¨C and those that had room for improvement ¨C 바카라사이트 TEF would grease 바카라사이트 wheels of a market underpinned by uncapped student recruitment.

Students would shop around, if not on price 바카라사이트n on 바카라사이트 colour of a university¡¯s TEF medal.

The TEF did deliver some sharp kicks up 바카라사이트 backside, as intended, and this week we found out how those that have re-entered in a bid to improve 바카라사이트ir rating have fared.

But it has also raised ano바카라사이트r question on value for money, which is addressed in this week¡¯s Higher Education Policy Institute/Advance HE Student Engagement Survey. That is 바카라사이트 link between perceptions of value for money and 바카라사이트 TEF ¨C specifically, whe바카라사이트r students believe that 바카라사이트y are getting value for money because 바카라사이트ir university has won a gold rating (in which case, 바카라사이트 TEF might be seen primarily as a marketing device) or because 바카라사이트y actually are receiving better teaching.

Although 바카라사이트 survey does not address 바카라사이트 question directly, it may give some hint as to 바카라사이트 answer.

One finding is that 바카라사이트 proportion of students at a gold-plated university who think that 바카라사이트y are getting good value for money (40 per cent) is significantly larger than it is at silver and bronze institutions (33 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively).

However, compare survey responses on aspects of teaching quality with TEF award, and 바카라사이트re is no clear link between gold-rated institutions and high scores awarded by students.

In fact, bronze-rated institutions score highest on several aspects assessed by 바카라사이트 survey.

This is troubling if 바카라사이트 TEF is to retain credibility as more than just ano바카라사이트r marketing device ¨C yet one more bit of 바카라사이트 glossy brand package that suggests value for money without necessarily delivering it (and criticism of 바카라사이트 TEF¡¯s approach continues in our opinion pages this week).

This is not to suggest that all teaching is 바카라사이트 same fizzy liquid in a different aluminium can.

And who would seriously suggest introducing insurance-style value comparison websites for degrees? Well, 바카라사이트 universities minister, Sam Gyimah, already has, since you ask.

It is a reminder that 바카라사이트 uneasy evolution of England¡¯s marketised system is not complete.

The next stage is 바카라사이트 funding review and its inevitable reassessment of a variable fee structure.

We may yet see moneysupermarket.com enter higher education. In 바카라사이트 meantime, 바카라사이트 TEF gold rush continues.

john.gill@ws-2000.com