Talking Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and Regional Access Partnerships (RAPs) 

Following the publication of the Office for Students’ (OfS) stage two response on quality (also known as the TEF), we wanted to share a quick summary of the 100-plus pages of guidance and appendices, alongside some developments on Regional Access Partnerships. 

Office for Students Future Approach to Quality 

For those who would appreciate a quick recap: stage one is done. The Office for Students (OfS) published its decisions on 11 June 2026, covering the principles, scope and structure of a reformed TEF and integrated quality system. Stage two is now open, from 22 October 2026 to 28 January 2027. The draft guidance, TEF data dashboard and proposed B6 text came out on 5 November, and the OfS is now seeking sector responses. The anticipated timeline is: final guidance and selection of the first provider cohort in summer 2027, with the first assessments submitted in January 2028.

In the updated materials released in October, there are some notable changes. The TEF is now optional. Everyone receives a baseline assessment of satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and satisfactory is in practice equivalent to Bronze. Rewards and sanctions are firmer, with Silver and Gold opening routes to fee uplifts, degree awarding powers and funding, while Unsatisfactory or Requires Improvement means a 10 per cent annual cut in student numbers. The Office for Students is asking whether that should be blanket or case by case. A mixed rating (a Bronze/Silver or Bronze/Gold split) attracts no restrictions. Outcome measures have also been reworked: continuation and completion keep absolute thresholds, but post-study outcomes become a benchmarked basket (graduate-level employment, skills use and salary) with no absolute minimum. We are pleased to see more qualitative information and a promised contextual approach, which is so important for smaller providers. However, it seems unfair that providers can opt out of the TEF, yet doing so makes them ineligible for benefits linked to the assessment, such as any fee limit changes.

Unsurprisingly, we will be considering these issues further and reaching out to members over the next month to inform a SEER response to the stage two consultation. Please join us for these critical discussions and be part of the voice feeding back to Office for Students. 

We will also be in touch as our work to support members in relation to the TEF begins to take shape and we learn more from the Office for Students. In the meantime, we encourage SEER members to spend some time with the new TEF dashboard. If you need any help or support, please contact your SEER lead or the Head of Quality and Membership Services (Stephen Pomfret).

Also affecting the future of Access and Participation Plans are the proposed and in-progress Regional Access Partnerships (RAPs)

First, a quick reminder of where we are. Following its 2025 call for evidence, the Office for Students confirmed in April 2026 that RAPs will start in September 2027, subject to funding decisions. In August, it proposed 17 regional partnerships to replace Uni Connect. Commissioning is now underway, with the Office for Students convening regional meetings between October and November 2026. Structures and governance are intended to be developed by February 2027, with approvals coming in spring 2027.

The new partnerships are intended to be more strategic than Uni Connect, with regional risk registers and action plans, a broader remit beyond young learners, and links to combined authorities and local skills plans. Having spoken to the Office for Students last week, we understand that a funding consultation is still to come, and it is unclear where funding will flow or what the application and allocation processes will be. The Access and Participation Task and Finish Group is due to report in January 2027.

We remain concerned about potential implications for our members and other smaller and specialist providers, and we will be considering these over the coming months as well, as we understand the outcomes from the regional meetings. Key concerns relate to the relevance of the RAPs and strategic misalignment; collective accountability, which may lead to institutions being penalised for the performance or activity of others, and smaller providers with limited resources could still be held to shared targets. Models of provision also present potential issues, where, for example, online-only, multi-site and non-regional providers don’t fit neatly into a geographic model. We are concerned, naturally, about reporting burdens and duplicated structures, unequal resourcing within large regions, and uncertain funding. Capacity to take part in governance and risk analysis will also be a constraint for small providers.  In our conversation with Office for Students, we advocated again for a different lens which doesn’t wed providers to the geographical model. 

The Office for Students has not yet said how Access and Participation Plan integration or accountability will work. The regional meetings and the commissioning window, which runs through February 2027, look like the practical opportunity to shape how specialist providers are included. Again, we will be reaching out to members to be part of the SEER conversation.

what comes next

There is more to unpack on this new vision for the future of Access and Participation Plans over the coming months! We are developing our plans to support members in relation to the TEF and RAPs as these plans emerge, and we will be in touch. Please reach out to your SEER contact if you would like a deeper conversation.