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The Condition Improvement Fund explained

The online application form opens this month (October), with a submission deadline of 12pm on Wednesday 16 December 2015. It is also worth noting that there is a registration deadline for new applicants of 5.00pm on Wednesday 2 December 2015.

The CIF is now only for single academy trusts, sixth form colleges or multi-academy trusts with less than five academies, open as at 1 November 2015. Larger MATs will once again receive their own formulaic allocation.

In the current financial climate we anticipate that competition between academies for CIF money will be high. Although there is more money available, the number of academies has also grown significantly, and academies are realising that the quality of their buildings is a key element of attracting new pupils, which in turn leads to an increase in revenue funding. The previous round of CIF funding was oversubscribed four times over, and one imagines this time the figure will grow to five or six times.

It is possible for each academy to submit two applications, with funding of up to £4 million available for individual projects.

Academies considering an application should therefore note that certain projects stand a better chance than others of proving successful. The EFA have changed the assessment criteria and weightings this time in an attempt to guarantee that funding is targeted efficiently; they hope to achieve this by first scoring each project against “project need” criteria (this will make up 70% of the overall weighting).

With expected demand it is highly likely that only the most essential projects will be successful. It is also worth noting that the EFA can use other information such as annual accounts and budget forecast returns for their assessment, and so any fortunate academies with significant reserves may find it difficult to find CIF success.

What will qualify as “high needs”?

This usually means a project that is needed to assess moderate to essential health and safety concerns and/or compliance.

The fund’s main priority concerns condition: keeping academy and college buildings safe and in good working order by tackling poor building condition, building compliance, energy efficiency and health and safety issues with the most significant consequences.

Typical examples include:

  • Fire protection systems
  • Emergency asbestos removal (and please note some academies have received claims from former teachers for asbestosis)
  • Electrical and gas safety.
  • Legionella prevention

There is then a second category of projects that ensure weathertight buildings and a continuous heating and water supply. It would seem likely that energy efficiency projects (often in conjunction with Salix loans) would fall in this category.

The CIF fund also supports eligible academies to expand their existing facilities and/or floor space, for example to increase admissions or to address overcrowding, although funding of this nature forms only a small part of the overall fund (15% last time).

Full details of the CIF fund and the application process can be found here.

If you have any questions please contact me or an academy schools experts at your nearest location.

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