Questioning the Cartel

Hotel Russell: Post-1892 (image: Tony Hisgett CC BY 2.0)

Anyone whose children are applying to go to secondary school will have been handed glossy prospectuses, with staged photos and talk of inspiring teaching and excellent facilities. Ignore all that and head for the back, where there are data on the destination of the leavers, showing how many have gone on to tertiary education and, of those, how many went to Russell Group universities.

The term is casually used as a shorthand for excellence, a sort of kitemark. There is an unspoken understanding that, while all those going on to universities are to be celebrated, only those going to RG universities matter. And I think that’s dangerous for UK higher education as a whole.

Faster, Higher, Stronger

It was reported this week that the House of Lords regarded the Government's proposal to categorise universities as gold, silver and bronze as 'extremely damaging'.

Here at Fundermental Towers University (FTU) we wish to distance ourselves from the peers' narrow and antiquated disgust with a viable and popular rating system. Those aged lords and bishops just need to get over themselves and get with the times. Don't they realise that everything is rated these days, and there is no finer system than one based on Olympian metals?

In fact, we would encourage the Government to go further in aligning with the Olympic ideals. Not only should the TEF use these labels, but universities should be expected to demonstrate the Olympic ideals of Citius, Altius, Fortius, or Faster, Higher, Stronger. 

Government Follows up REF and TEF with AEF and FTEF

Jo 'Edmund' Johnson: Sleep Excellence Framework 'to follow'

Following news of the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the Government has announced that it intends to introduce an Administration Excellence Framework (AEF) and a Free Time Excellence Framework (FTEF).

'Research and Teaching are only a part of an academic's life' explained Jo 'Edmund' Johnson, Minister of State for Universities, Science and Excessive Assessment. 'We want to get a full understanding, and star rating, for absolutely every single part of it: every moment of every day.'