As institutions and students’ associations prepare for the upcoming officer election season, sparqs is pleased to share Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) Guidance for Elections. This resource has been developed to help prospective candidates gain a clear, confident understanding of the evolving quality landscape and the exciting opportunities they may step into if elected.
It is designed for students’ association staff involved in designing election materials and supporting prospective candidates; as well as institutional staff who oversee or contribute to student engagement and quality processes. With this guidance, prospective student officers will benefit from clearer descriptions of the roles they may take on, helping them appreciate both the value and the impact of their potential contributions.
Whether you support elections directly or contribute to quality assurance more broadly, this guide provides clarity on how the new framework may affect elected roles.
The responsibilities of the LSR and the overall involvement of the elected officers and the students’ association in the quality processes present a new demand on resources for the students’ association. This guidance suggests ways to update information to prospective student officers within existing structures. However, sparqs does not suggest that these roles can simply be added onto existing responsibilities. We would encourage institutions, in partnership with students’ associations, to consider taking an ongoing strategic approach to review, and further development of future capacity to fully undertake the range of activities associated with the TQEF.
sparqs appreciates the complexity of resourcing the support of students’ associations, officers, LSRs and students to engagement in TQEF, and we have started the process of creating a working group to develop further guidance. If you would like to be involved, please email amy.monks@sparqs.ac.uk.
Why is this guidance important?
By embedding comprehensive and accessible information into election materials, institutions empower future officers to appreciate not only the responsibilities and opportunities of the role, but also its strategic significance.
The introduction of the TQEF - and within it, the creation of the LSR role - brings significant changes to how students and students’ associations participate in review processes. An understanding of the scope of TQEF and the range of officer responsibilities, as agreed in partnership with institutions, is essential for candidates prior to running, whoever they are.
The introduction of the crucial TQEF role creates new expectations for elected student officers, who could be selected for the LSR role as detailed in the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) TQER guidance. Where an institution is scheduled to undergo a Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) during the coming academic year, the officer’s contribution will be significant (especially if they are appointed as the LSR).
In addition to our published TQEF guidance for elections, sparqs also provides bespoke TQER elections guidance to institutions with a review coming up, to help outline the significant additional responsibilities officers will have in relation to the review process. The TQER resource helps the institution map out which responsibilities may belong to the current officer, and which may belong to the incoming officer and how to ensure continuity and effective handover.
Smooth handover between current and incoming officers is essential and clear expectations lead to better recruitment, improved preparedness, and stronger partnership working across the sector.
What’s in the guidance?
The resource provides an overview of key responsibilities, expectations, and support available to elected student officers, including:
Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER)
- Officer involvement in providing student perspectives during TQER.
- Responsibilities for those selected as the Lead Student Representative (LSR).
Annual Quality Engagement
- Contributions to the Self-Evaluation and Action Plan (SEAP).
- Opportunities to shape continuous improvement at institutional level.
- Engagement in curriculum reviews, policy consultations, ILQR, and QAA liaison meetings.
Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP)
- How officers may collaborate nationally to enhance learning, teaching, and the student experience.
- Expectations for students’ associations in supporting STEP participation.
Support and training from sparqs
The resource highlights a suite of resources and development opportunities, including:
- Practical guidance on SEAP, TQER, and STEP.
- Training events such as That’s Quality!, Course Rep Training, and the dedicated TQER training programme.
- Opportunities for networking through the National Education Officers’ Network (NEON).
- Key sector resources such as the Student Learning Experience (SLE) model and Scotland’s Ambition for Student Partnership.
We hope that students’ associations find the new resource useful when preparing their materials for elections and supporting prospective candidates.
Further information
For any further information, or if you have any queries, please get in touch with Amy Monks, Development Consultant - amy.monks@sparqs.ac.uk
NB: the guidance was updated slightly on 17th February 2026, following initial publication on 4th February 2026.