University of Portsmouth scoops top accolade for quality teaching

Portsmouth has today been revealed as one of a handful of universities in Britain to clinch the prestigious ‘Gold’ rating in the Teaching Education Framework.

Presented to only the nation’s best universities, the title recognises outstanding teaching quality.

Portsmouth is now in the UK’s top 20 per cent of the 299 sites that entered and is one of just four in the south-east region to achieve the accolade.

The news comes as Portsmouth this year marks its 25th anniversary of gaining university status.

Professor Graham Galbraith, vice-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, was thrilled by the result.

He said: ‘There is something truly special happening here right now.

‘We’re often talked about as a hidden gem. This just validates everything we have known for years that we are doing the right thing.’

An independent panel of experts judged every university on four areas: teaching standards, learning environment, learning gain and student outcomes.

In their report, judges gave a glowing endorsement of Portsmouth, saying it delivered ‘consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students’, adding ‘it is of the highest quality found in the UK’.

It is the first time an assessment of this nature has even been undertaken of university teaching standards.

Prof Galbraith added: ‘For too long universities’ reputations have been overly-dependent on their research and “prestige” – which can often be code for being old.

‘The UK is recognised as a world-leader in the provision of higher education and this new government rating provides an opportunity to celebrate and recognise great teachers and great teaching that lead to positive student outcomes.’

The awards are broken into three categories, gold, silver and bronze.

In the south-east, the only sites to clinch the top title alongside Portsmouth were Oxford, Kent and Surrey universities.

The University of Chichester also excelled, scooping a silver award.

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said he was ‘proud’ of the city’s institution. It comes after figures revealed the university delivered an annual £1bn economic boom to the UK.

‘The University of Portsmouth is a great university doing great things,’ Mr Morgan said. ‘I always want the very best for Portsmouth and this recognition is a tremendous boost for the city.’

Judges praised Portsmouth top-rate facilities for students.

Among them included the state-of-the-art Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, which has a host of simulators, two fully-functioning acute hospital wards and a bespoke ambulance.

This year Portsmouth featured in the top 100 young universities in the world and was ranked 37th in the UK in the 2018 Guardian University Guide.