A review is being launched today (18 January) to ensure the Government’s flagship higher education rating system continues to support high quality teaching so students have the information they need to choose the best university for them.

The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) shines a light on higher education providers that offer excellent teaching and good student outcomes, through awards of gold, silver or bronze.

Research out today shows that he TEF has already been an important driver of quality in higher education, leading providers to invest in training schemes and develop initiatives to improve teaching standards, and that applicants are using the ratings to inform their university choices.

In order to ensure the rating system continues to be effective as it can be, Dame Shirley Pearce is leading an independent review to make sure it is fit for purpose, starting with a public call for views opening today to hear how the potential of the system can be maximised.

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said:

As Universities Minister I want you, the experts, to take part in Dame Shirley’s call for views and to give your thoughts so the TEF can work as well as it possibly can. It is important that we maximise the potential of this system and can only do that by getting invaluable insights from the sector.

We all know that choosing a university is one of the biggest decisions that many people will make in their lives, and the information that TEF provides is helping students make the best choice for them.

Of course, this framework is just one part of the wide range of information we are making available on institutions and courses, including employability and likely earnings, to help students them make the a choice which can boost their future prospects.

The call for views will close on Friday 1 March and asks the higher education sector, students, graduates, parents, careers advisers, employers and the general public about the effectiveness of the scheme. Anyone with suggestions of how the scheme can be enhanced is urged to take part.

The current framework for the TEF aims to provide information for students and employers and to drive world-class standards and quality in higher education.

Dame Shirley will consider, among other things, whether the information used for the current rating system is appropriate, the names of the rating categories, the impact of the rating system on providers and whether it is in the public interest.

The TEF is just one measure as part of the department’s priority to drive high-quality teaching in higher education and ensure students have access to the information they need to make the best decision for their future careers. Last year the department announced a second year of pilots for the subject-level TEF rating system, which will include ‘grade inflation’ as one of the key criteria that institutions will be measured against.

At the same time, the Government is improving student information and choice by increasing transparency in higher education data, publishing a wide range of data on likely earnings, employability, and teaching quality at universities.

Dame Shirley Pearce DBE said:

This independent review is an important and exciting opportunity to make recommendations to government about the future of TEF. I want these recommendations to be informed by the views of all involved in TEF providers of higher education, students, applicants as well as employers.

I hope all will respond to this Call for Views so that we can ensure your ideas are able to influence TEF’s future development.

Dame Shirley has appointed her own expert group to advise her on her review, which will conclude in summer 2019.

Alongside the launch of the review today, the Department for Education has published research, showing findings from the initial impact of the TEF on applicants and higher education providers.

The TEF was introduced in 2016 and its full impact will not yet be felt, however the research shows that it has already contributed to higher education providers driving improvements, particularly in the quality of their teaching, and for student employability.

This research will form part of the evidence base that the review will consider.

Thank you very much Mr President. Thank you for scheduling this briefing. Very good to hear from the SRSG so thank you, Ghassan for everything you’ve said. I wanted to start by thanking you also for restructuring the mission and for the enormous progress made on opening the offices. I think that’s really important. As you were saying it’s a good signal of the international community’s engagement with the people of Libya and what is happening there so thank you for that. And many thanks to the German Ambassador as well for the sanctions report. Germany is now co-penholder with us on Libya so obviously we look forward to working even more closely together.

I wanted to start Mr President by reiterating my government’s strong support for what the SRSG is doing and what the UN are doing on the ground. And our thanks to them for all their efforts. In particular, we support the SRSG’s approach to the National Conference. We believe it’s the best way of reaching an inclusive political settlement and one which stabilises the country and we hope that all Libyans should come together and engage in this process. And in particular, Mr President, we hope that a broad spectrum of Libyan society is represented at the National Conference. And we think we should work to ensure that and we look for participants to be drawn from as broader political, regional, tribal and ethnic spectrum as possible. And of course, as this Council always says on these occasions, we look for a proper representation of women. The Council has been united pretty well so far, Mr President, and we hope that we can rally to the UN action plan and we hope that we can help other members of the international community and ensure that the UN mission is able to implement the outcomes of the National Conference.

The SRSG referred several times to spoilers. And I think what the pattern of attacks he described and the sporadic clashes throughout the country obviously of great concern. I think the Council needs to be very clear, Mr President, Libya’s future cannot and will not be determined by spoilers who wish to maintain the status quo purely for their own gain while ordinary Libyan citizens continue to suffer. And the deteriorating situation on security that the SRSG described simply underscores how unsustainable the status quo is. So we believe, Mr President, that Libya’s political institutions need to work with the National Conference and take account of its outcomes. This will signal they have the best interests of the Libyan people at heart and that they’re committed to finding a durable political solution to the crisis. The Libyan people will find it very hard to understand if those institutions continue to fail to do what’s been asked of them.

I think, on the economy, I was very interested in what the SRSG said about oil. I think again we’ve got to support the UN mission and the international financial institutions in putting in place further economic reforms. I think we need even more targeted and effective sanctions against spoilers. The progress that’s been made with the Central Bank of Libya is also very welcome but obviously it needs to take place in parallel with work to reunify the Central Bank and the Central Bank in the east.

And finally, Mr President, on security, we do think the ceasefire is welcome, but it does look fragile. A sustainable security architecture right across the country will be necessary for Libya’s stability.

Thank you very much, Mr President.

A 44 year old woman has been given a suspended sentence for providing unqualified immigration advice and immigration services.

Ms. Ghazala Nazir of Jubilee Close, Pinner, Middlesex, was sentenced today, 18 January 2019, at Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of both counts on 12 December 2018, following a trial also at Southwark CC.

Ms. Nazir received: • For each count, a twelve month prison sentence, to be run concurrently and suspended for two years. • A Rehabilitation Activity Requirement of 60 days. • A Compensation Order to be paid to the complainant of £1050

The offences took place between 1 July 2015 and 26 September 2016 in Dalston, Hackney, East London. The complainant, who believed Ms. Nazir to be a qualified person working for a firm of solicitors, paid her to prepare and submit applications for him to remain in the UK.

Errors made by Ms. Nazir caused a delay in the process resulting in inconvenience and stress to the complainant, as well as financial loss.

In sentencing HH Judge Gledhill QC said: “A message must go out loud and clear to people who attempt to get easy money from people in vulnerable positions, that if they are caught the consequences will be severe.”

Speaking about the decision, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner, Dr Ian Leigh, said: “These offences are serious. Immigrants often find themselves in a vulnerable position and require the support of qualified and regulated immigration experts. Ms. Nazir demonstrated what can happen when unqualified individuals hold themselves out as immigration advisers.”

Notes to the Editor

1. The OISC is an independent public body, established under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to regulate the provision of immigration advice and services in the UK.

2. For further information contact Cornelius Alexander. Corporate Communications Officer at the OISC on 0207 211 1617.

Wednesday, 13 March, 2019

featuring

Dr Kieran McCartan │ Professor of Criminology │ University of the West of England and Dr Jacqueline Lynch │ Director & Consultant Clinical Psychologist│ Chrysalis Associates

Please see the attached flyer for further information and how to book.

PDF, 348KB, 1 page

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Published 18 January 2019

A mysterious and uniquely designed tray from the historic city of Bidar in South India is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found.

The ‘Tear Shaped Bidri Tray’, which is believed to have been made in the first half of the 17th century by an unknown craftsman, has been blocked from export by Michael Ellis, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.

The tray, deemed to be of a rare size and shape and unparalleled finesse, is in a metalworking technique known as ‘Bidri’, the name deriving from the capital city of the Bahmanid sultanate of the Deccan which was one of the major Muslim kingdoms of medieval India.

It is also believed to be one of only two bidri objects to have its entire outer surface covered in silver inlay, decorated through a complex intertwining of scrolling lines bearing leaves and stylised flowers.

17th century Bidriware is rare in any collection in the world, with the vast majority of pieces in UK public and private collections dating from the 19th century. Even the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art, which has the finest collection of Bidriware in the world, does not own a tray of this type.

Michael Ellis, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, said:

The Tear Shaped Bidri Tray highlights the style, detail and innovation of metalware produced on the subcontinent during this influential period in world history.

When considering its unique nature, it is right that we do what we can to preserve this valuable item for the nation.

Most of the tray’s ownership history is unknown. It is recorded as having been acquired by the London-based antique dealer Anthony “Tobi” Jack in London by at least 1974, and was owned by the dealer Bashir Mohamed from 1974 to 2017.

Experts also believed that the tray highlights the Indian superiority in metallurgical knowledge, or scientific study of metals, at the time it was made. Appreciation of the zinc alloy technique of bidri may be indirectly linked to sharing with England how to produce metallic zinc, or carry out zinc smelting, on an industrial scale. This would ultimately lead to a transformation in English industrial production around a century later.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by The Arts Council. They made their recommendation on the grounds that the item is of outstanding aesthetic importance and significance for the study of Indian and Deccan decorative arts.

Chairman of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, Sir Hayden Phillips, said:

This 17th century Indian tray is exquisite; both in the beauty of its appearance, in the shape of a tear, and in the manner of its creation. It fully reflects the sophistication of Deccan design in the region’s monuments and interiors.

We were unanimous in our view that the tray was of outstanding aesthetic importance and of outstanding significance to the study of Bidri ware”.

The decision on the export licence application for the item will be deferred until 17 April 2019. This may be extended until 17 July 2019 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £75,000, plus VAT.

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the tray should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Details of the item are as follows:

• Tear shaped Bidri tray
• Matching offer: £75,000 plus VAT
• Blackened zinc alloy inlaid with silver and brass,
• Measurements: length 35cm, width 29cm, height 3 cm.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.

The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections: www.artscouncil.org.uk.

A Buyer’s Premium is an additional percentage charge on the hammer price, which is charged by the auctioneer to cover their expense.