Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of subject-level Teaching Excellence Framework results in 2021; and whether funds have been provided to the Office for Students to cover those costs.

The department regularly discusses the ongoing development of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) with the Office for Students (OfS). We expect the OfS to consider the implementation of the TEF in light of the report of the independent review of TEF by Dame Shirley Pearce, as well as the government’s response. We intend to lay Dame Shirley’s report before Parliament and publish it alongside the government’s response as soon as possible.

The department’s analysts provided Dame Shirley and her advisory group background information and analytical support. This will be published as part of the supporting evidence base, which will be presented as appendices to her report.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and his officials have not discussed the paragraphs on the TEF in the strategic guidance letter to the OfS with representative groups from the HE sectors. Discussions of this type would not normally be held with these groups in advance of issuing guidance.

The department provides grants to the OfS for the development and delivery of the TEF. Further discussions will be held with the OfS on estimating costs in future years when planning for the implementation of the TEF. This will take into account that the recommendations in the report of the independent review are clear.