The Northern School of Art has received an overall rating of ‘Gold’ – the highest rating possible – as part of the Office for Students’ Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The Gold overall rating indicates that the student experience and student outcomes at The Northern School of Art for students studying undergraduate degree qualifications at its Hartlepool campus are typically outstanding.

This rating has been awarded for four years, and follows a Gold rating received in June 2017, now replaced by the new award.

The School’s further education provision at its campus at Newport Road, Middlesbrough, has maintained an Ofsted rating of ‘Outstanding’ since 2009.

Dr Martin Raby, Principal at The Northern School of Art said: “Our ambition is to provide the highest standards of academic education and practice-based learning.

“We are delighted that the hard work and dedication of our staff and the commitment of our talented students has secured the ‘Gold’ overall rating for our undergraduate degrees.”

The TEF assessment is designed to recognise and promote excellence across providers of higher education; the current rating follows the assessment of 228 providers drawn from across the sector.

The assessment draws on a wide range of data including the National Student Survey (NSS) responses relating to student support and satisfaction, teaching and assessment. In 2022, the last year that the NSS rated students’ overall satisfaction with the quality of their course in England, 91.1per cent of the School’s students responding to the survey were satisfied, compared with 76.3 per cent of respondents nationally.

In the most recent survey, 2023 graduates provided a range of feedback, recognising the School’s unique ethos and commitment to excellence.

Students praised the support and encouragement they received in expressing their creativity, commenting: “The tutors welcome and embrace everyone’s different styles of work which was refreshing. I received lots of support and encouragement to push and develop myself and my work to make me the best designer I could be!”

Graduates praised facilities and support: “I came … not knowing just how much I would learn and develop. The facilities are impeccable and I couldn’t have had a better educational experience, with endless support from tutors, technicians and members of staff …”

The School’s commitment to supporting students’ personal development is evident: “The guidance I have received from tutors has been wonderful, I have grown so much as a person …”

Emphasis on graduate careers is clear: “The variety of projects [was] vast, and helped me understand what I want to do. We are advised, extremely well, on our career paths, and more options are opened up to us.”

Dr Raby continued: “We take the personal development and career-readiness of our students very seriously; this feedback is a great endorsement of this work. We continue to provide the high standards of education, innovation and support that our region and its talented, vibrant communities deserve.”

“Our work is supported by many creative industry partnerships – including Aardman Academy – and by being a partner in BAFTA’s ‘Albert in Education’ scheme, designed to arm students with the sustainability knowledge they’ll need when joining the screen industries.”

Adding: “Building on recent changes such as securing ‘Spotlight’ accreditation for our acting degree and the benefit of having ‘The Northern Film & TV Studios’ as neighbours, we look forward to an exciting new chapter for our students and the School, supporting the development of the creative industries in the region.”

The Northern School of Art is a specialist creative institution that provides practice-based education and training for the creative industries at its campuses in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool. The School’s Hartlepool campus is located next to The Northern Film & Television Studios – the North East’s only large-scale film and television production and studio complex.

Details of all School open days, events and courses, including Saturday Clubs, Arts Awards, diplomas, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, are available at www.northernart.ac.uk and @TheNorthernArt on social media.

The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in the United Kingdom. Further information about its work, and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), please is available at www.officeforstudents.org.uk