If you have had a bid for funding in the 2022/23 CIF round rejected, there are a number of options.
The first step is to have your CIF bid reviewed by an experienced school building consultant.
From here, you have a number of options… We look at those options here, along with giving some advice from our school building consultants.
Appeal the decision in the 2022/23 round
In some cases, it may be that there has been an error in the way the bid has been reviewed or marked. Unfortunately, the scope for this this fairly limited, and the DfE will only overturn their decision in cases where there has been a fundamental error in the way the bid has been assessed.
Reapply next year
Our school building consultants have strong track record of success when it comes to obtaining funding. We have several examples where we have taken over representing schools from previous school building consultants, turning previously failed bids into successful ones in future rounds. We are happy to review the bids of any schools that we have not worked with and advise if there are areas of the application that might be improved in future funding bids.
Consider other funding streams
The CIF isn’t the only source of capital funding for schools that is available through the course of the year. Currently, there is a particular focus on decarbonisation, and depending on the nature of the project involved, it may be possible to obtain funding by schemes including the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).
Where works are urgent, it may be possible to submit an application for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) funding.
For more information on our work in the area of funding bids, or to discuss having a CIF bid reviewed by one of our specialist school building consultants, please get in touch. This service is offered free of charge.
Lea Hough is a firm of Chartered Surveyors that has developed a specialism in the education sector, in particular helping schools obtain funding for building improvement works via the CIF. The types of funding we are able to assist schools apply for include CIF funding, funding via decarbonisation schemes (in particular the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), Urgent Capital Support (UCS) funding and other funding programmes via SALIX or SEEF.
