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Who are Advance HE and what do they do?

Advance HE is the UK’s national body for supporting teaching excellence in higher education. They champion professional development by providing accreditation and recognition for individuals and institutions, ensuring high-quality, student-focused teaching across the sector. Their Fellowship awards, based on the Professional Standards Framework (PSF), are recognised worldwide as a mark of quality and commitment to teaching in higher education.

In addition to individual recognition, Advance HE runs prestigious awards such as the National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) and Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE), celebrating outstanding contributions to student learning and innovative practice.

The Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023) is a national benchmark for good practice in HE teaching and learning. It sets out the knowledge, skills, and values expected of effective educators and supports reflection and ongoing development. It is structured around four Descriptors (D1–D4) which represent progressive levels of professional practice in teaching and supporting learning in higher education. Each Descriptor builds on the last, recognising not just what you do as an individual, but also the breadth of your influence.

D1 Associate Fellow (AFHEA) – for those supporting learning in limited contexts.
D2 Fellow (FHEA) – for those with substantial teaching responsibility.
D3 Senior Fellow (SFHEA) – for experienced staff leading or mentoring others.
D4 Principal Fellow (PFHEA) – for senior leaders shaping teaching strategy across institutions.

Advance HE recognition demonstrates your impact, enhances your career, and connects you to a global network of education professionals.

Marjon offers Advance HE Fellowship through two of its professional development routes, the Teaching Accreditation Route (TAR) and Marjon Teacher Recognition (MTR). It also supports campus-based academic staff to make direct applications to Advance HE for Principal Fellowship (PFHEA), National Teaching Fellowships (NTF) and for the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).

Teaching Accreditation Route (TAR) Marjon Teaching Recognition (MTR)

National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) ▼

National Teaching Fellowship Scheme

Applies to Marjon-based staff only

Marjon participates in the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) hosted by Advance HE. The NTFS is a national competition which celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.

Every year, each institution can nominate up to 3 members of staff, who clearly demonstrate having an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. To apply, nominees must write a 5000 word application based on 3 criteria.

Individual excellence
Evidence of enhancing and transforming student learning and outcomes.
This includes teaching, assessment, curriculum design, and/or academic support that demonstrably benefits students.
Raising the profile of excellence
Evidence of supporting colleagues and influencing practice beyond your immediate role.
This might include mentoring, leading change, or contributing to the wider teaching and learning community.
Developing excellence
Evidence of a sustained commitment to personal development in teaching and learning.
This involves reflecting on practice, engaging with scholarship, and continually improving your impact over time.

Each criterion should be underpinned by clear, evidenced impact and demonstrate alignment with the values and dimensions of the Professional Standards Framework (PSF).

Interested in Developing an Application?

If you are interested in developing an application click here to access Advance HE NTF information. The next step is to speak to your line manager about whether they would support your application. You need their support because developing an application takes time and you will need to do this within your academic development pathway hours as outlined according to your role in the Academic Contribution Framework. If they are supportive, they will put you in touch with an academic staff member who has been awarded an NTF and can mentor your application. Current eligible staff are Professor Debby Cotton and Professor Jennie Winter.

Principal Fellowship (PFHEA)▼

Principal Fellowship

Applies to Marjon-based staff only

Principal Fellowship is suitable for highly experienced individuals whose practice involves a sustained record of effectiveness in strategic leadership of high-quality learning. Their impact is extensive. Individuals are able to evidence that their practice meets the following three PSF 2023 Descriptor 4 criteria statements:   

D4.1: Sustained and effective strategic leadership of higher education practice, with extensive impact on high-quality learning: within or beyond an institution, or across a discipline or profession.
D4.2: Development and implementation of effective and inclusive: strategies, or policies, or procedures, or initiatives, to enhance practice and outcomes for learners. 
D4.3: Active commitment to, and integration of, all Dimensions in the strategic leadership of academic or professional practices.

Principal Fellows can demonstrate how they provided vision and direction, and transformed practice and outcomes. They are able to show evidence that their strategic leadership has had a sustained record of effectiveness and positive impact over a period of five to seven years. Their practice will have made a positive and lasting change at a strategic level on high-quality learning. 

Is Principal Fellowship Right for You?

Principal Fellowship is not role dependent. Within your context, you will need to explore whether you have the extensive evidence of impact on high-quality learning, at a strategic level, that is the basis for a successful application.

Principal Fellows are a diverse community representing the full range of strategic leadership in higher education. For example, you may work in academic departments, professional or service departments, on senior or executive leadership teams, for a professional body, as independent consultants, or in other roles with impact on learning and teaching in Higher Education. 

Use the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool to see if you have the experience to apply for a Principal Fellowship.

Interested in Developing an Application?

Whilst Marjon does not offer D4 through the MTR scheme, it does support campus-based staff to make applications direct to Advance HE. If you have used the Fellowship Category Tool and have confirmation your experiences to date are sufficient to inform a strong application, then click here to access Advance HE Principal Fellowship direct application information. The next step is to speak to your line manager about whether they would support your application. You need their support because developing an application takes time and you will need to do this within your academic development pathway hours as outlined according to your role in the Academic Contribution Framework. If they are supportive they will put you in touch with an academic staff member who has been awarded a Principal Fellowship and can mentor your application. Current eligible staff are Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope, Professor Debby Cotton and Professor Jennie Winter.

Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE)▼

Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE)

Open to Marjon and partner staff

Advance HE’s Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) is now an established benchmark for teamwork in UK higher education. Since its inception in 2016, it has recognised over 136 award-winning teams, a testament to the calibre and impact of truly collaborative practice. The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) celebrates the power of teamwork in higher education. It recognises groups of colleagues who work together to improve the student learning experience in innovative and sustained ways. If your team is doing great work that makes a real difference to students, and you’re learning and growing together while doing it, this might be the right opportunity for you.

At its core, a successful CATE application tells a clear story of:

Positive impact: How your team has enhanced student outcomes and experiences.
Collaboration: How your team works together effectively, shares practice, and supports each other’s development.
Influence: How your work has extended beyond your team, reaching others within your institution or the wider sector.

You don’t have to be perfect, or have a high-profile project. What matters is meaningful work, done well, with a focus on learning and impact. For example, CATE teams have:

Co-created inclusive assessment approaches with students.
Developed mentoring networks for under-represented groups.
Designed cross-discipline curriculum innovations.
Embedded sustainability or digital skills across programmes.

You’ll need to gather evidence, reflect on how your team works, and show how you’ve learned from what’s worked (and what hasn’t). Teams that cross Marjon and our partners would be excellent candidates!

Interested in Developing an Application?

The first steps are to invest some time reading the CATE guidance and talking to your team to ascertain if your experiences are likely to meet the criteria. If you think you have a good case, then outline the rationale and contact the Academy and you will be allocated support to review your ideas and, if warranted, support the application further.