Awards for Chichester college and university

The announcement has been described as marking the end of ‘a successful 12 months’ for the university.

Vice-chancellor, professor Jane Longmore, said it was ‘a significant step towards achieving our vision that, by 2020, the University of Chichester will be internationally recognised as a beacon of excellent practice for high quality, student-centred higher education’.

She said: “It is particularly gratifying that the TEF panel acknowledged the ‘outstanding levels of student satisfaction with teaching and academic support’.”

Deputy vice-chancellor professor Catherine Harper said the teaching excellence is a direct result of a strategy which sees all ‘teachers research, and all of our researchers teach’, meaning that ‘stimulating, challenging and genuinely impactful research and professional practice’ is embedded into the everyday learning experience.

Praise for staff also came from Chichester College’s principal who said the award was ‘a great result’.

Principal Shelagh Legrave OBE, said: “It is a direct reflection of the efforts and dedication of our staff, who regularly go above and beyond their duty to ensure our students receive an outstanding education.”

TEF, which has been introduced this year, is designed to gives students clear and understandable information about the best UK universities for learning and teaching. It sees universities rated based on their performance in the National Student Survey, drop-out rates, and employment data, alongside written evidence of their recent successes.

The silver award recognises that an institution consistently delivers ‘high quality teaching, learning, and outcomes for its students and consistently exceeds rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education’.

Remarking on the TEF, the universities minister Jo Johnson said: “The Framework will also tell students about where the best teaching is on offer and, for the first time, place teaching quality on a par with research at our universities.”

Madeleine Atkins, Higher Education Funding Council chief executive, said: “The UK already has a high bar for quality and standards, which all universities and colleges must meet. But the TEF judges excellence above and beyond this, clearly showing the highest levels across the sector.”

The institutions are among 116 higher education (HE) providers to be awarded a Silver rating, which is given for delivering high quality teaching, learning and outcomes for students.