The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) has been acknowledged as 'outstanding', achieving the highest available Gold ranking in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) announcement.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has announced the outcomes of the newly established Teaching Excellence Framework (REF), ranking the RNCM as the UK's joint leading music college for teaching.

Excellent

Professor Linda Merrick, RNCM Principal told 4BR: "This is an excellent result for the RNCM. The TEF Gold standard is an acknowledgement of the dedication and quality of our staff and, in conjunction with the College's outstanding outcome in the Research Excellence Framework, recognises the RNCM as the premier music education college in the UK."

The Teaching Excellence Framework identifies excellent teaching and learning across the UK's world-class higher education sector. In order to be considered for a TEF rating, higher education providers have to meet demanding national quality requirements.

The TEF Gold standard is an acknowledgement of the dedication and quality of our staff... and recognises the RNCM as the premier music education college in the UKProfessor Linda Merrick, RNCM Principal

High quality

Madeleine Atkins, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, said: "Students invest significant amounts of time and money in their higher education. They rightly expect a high-quality learning experience and outcomes that reflect their potential.

The UK already has a high bar for quality and standards, which all universities and colleges must meet. But the TEF judges excellence above and beyond this, clearly showing the highest levels across the sector."

Image: Daniel Hopkinson