National Teaching Fellowship

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) is a means of recognising excellence in teaching in higher education in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The scheme was first administered by the Higher Education Academy, which subsequently became Advanced HE in 2018. The scheme was started in 2000 and there are now more than 800 national teaching fellows (NTFs) across the UK. In 2016 an additional team award, the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) was launched. This award recognises teams for their collaborative work and excellent practice in teaching and learning.

Currently around 55 NTF awards are made annually from a process that requires applicants to provide an evidenced and endorsed case of their approaches to teaching, and how their work has impacted on teaching and learning in higher education, within their institution and beyond. The application is assessed by two independent reviewers against set criteria.

There are NTFs representing every academic discipline; each receives a monetary prize to enhance their individual impact on learning and teaching through for example continuing professional development and/or educational innovation and initiatives. Although the majority of NTF applicants are academic staff who teach, many work in professional services and management, for example library services or careers, and/or undertake pedagogical research.

The NTFS scheme is managed and facilitated by the Higher Education Academy and is currently funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and the Department for the Economy (DfE) in Northern Ireland.