Each year, the Department for Education (DfE) allocates funding to help maintain and improve the condition of school buildings and grounds.
Schools receive condition funding through different routes depending on their size and type.
The DfE have this week confirmed the overall SCA, DFC and CIF Funding allocations for the 2020 to 2021 financial year. The DfE have released a spreadsheet that confirms the DFC and SCA allocations for 2020-21, by school type.
The main pots of funding that have now been confirmed include:
School Condition Allocation (SCA)
From financial year 2020 to 2021, Voluntary Aided (VA) schools will now be under the same capital maintenance funding mechanisms as other schools. Formerly Voluntary Aided schools received funding via the LCVAP programme, but they are now covered by the School Condition Allocation (SCA).
Local authorities (LAs), larger MATs and larger VA school bodies (such as Diocese) receive direct SCA to invest in priorities across the schools for which they are responsible.
Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) with at least 5 academies and more than 3,000 pupils receive a School Condition Allocation (SCA) to deploy strategically across their estate for maintenance and refurbishment purposes.
Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is the main capital building fund available to smaller Academy Trusts, individual academies and some sixth form colleges. This funding is allocated via a bidding process, these bids being submitted in December each year. Typically, the outcome of this process is confirmed in April the following year, but due to the current COVID-19 situation the Department for Education (DfE) have confirmed that the announcement on the outcome of the CIF bids has been delayed, and will now be confirmed in May.
DFC – Devolved Formula Capital
The DFC grant is capital funding calculated on a formulaic basis for each educational establishment. It gives schools direct funding for the priority capital needs of its buildings and grounds and for investment in capital equipment including ICT.
The good news is that, despite the current coronavirus situation, the funding allocations that have been announced this week are consistent with the funding that has been announced in previous years.
Should any of our school clients have any queries or require any assistance with funding for building repair or expansion projects you are welcome to contact us.
This week’s DfE announcement can be viewed on this link
