Morning, Friday, 21st November 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for quality and standards in higher education in England, and the evolving role of the Teaching Excellence Framework as part of a broader, integrated regulatory approach.
It is expected to take place as the OfS consults on the future of TEF and the shift towards a continuous embedded approach to quality assurance, following the OfS’ 2025 review, and prepares to publish its 2025 to 2030 strategy.
Delegates will assess implications of these changes for providers, regulators, and policymakers, as the TEF shifts from a periodic, standalone exercise to a core component of a continuous and risk-based approach to quality assurance. Discussion will explore how the framework will be used to support long-term institutional improvement, deliver public accountability, and inform student choice. Delegates will consider the development of quality standards across the sector, including the integration of TEF assessments with baseline regulatory conditions, a focus on student outcomes, and growing emphasis on value for money.
Sessions will consider how institutions can respond to evolving expectations around educational gain, graduate success, and the transparency of performance data, including the proposed introduction of public outcome measures and a new quality risk register to identify and address underperformance.
Attendees will consider strategic and operational challenges facing providers as they engage with this next phase of quality assurance reform, including evidencing teaching excellence and impact in a more embedded, ongoing process, aligning TEF expectations with institutional missions, and managing compliance and reputational risks in a more visible, data-driven system. The conference will also examine implications for staff workload, student engagement, and internal quality enhancement processes, particularly as institutions shift from one-off submission cycles to continuous regulatory expectations across the full provider lifecycle.
In light of sector calls for a more proportionate and developmental approach to quality, the conference will be an opportunity to reflect on how regulation can better support innovation, collaboration, and improvement across a diverse range of providers. The agenda will consider the future direction of the quality system and how TEF can evolve to capture diverse forms of excellence and deliver long-term benefit for students and the wider public, ahead of an expected OfS consultation on the new quality model later this year.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- regulation and standards:
- expectations from the shift away from a fixed TEF cycle - development of a rolling, embedded quality assessment model - aligning TEF with baseline conditions
- graduate outcomes and public accountability - lessons from the 2023 TEF exercise - managing compliance and reputational risk
- institutional engagement:
- strategic approaches to continuous quality enhancement - integrating TEF expectations in varied academic contexts - evidencing student voice, educational gain, and impact
- managing regulatory burden and overlaps - supporting transparency and fairness in assessments
- student outcomes and educational value:
- practical strategies for improving continuation, progression, and attainment - addressing disparities in outcomes
- linking curriculum design and staff development to student success - demonstrating value for money and student return on investment
- excellence and institutional narrative:
- building a clear and credible TEF narrative in evolving quality assurance frameworks - documenting improvement journeys and evidencing impact
- lessons from high-performing submissions - preparing for external scrutiny and appeals under evolving regulatory expectations
