The DfE, Condition Improvement Funding 21/22 has been announced, so what are the key changes?
With this year’s Schools and Academies Show concluded, is was good to see a chunk of the agenda given over to looking at estate management debating issues from how to deal with the ‘new normal’ through to accessing funds for energy efficient projects through the recently announced ￡1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The importance of managing the estate – particularly during these exceptional times – is not to be underestimated.
And on that theme, we’ve also had the announcement of the 21-22 Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) which outlines the process for schools to bid for improvements to their facilities. As we expected there are not many changes to the criteria, CIF is a pretty well-oiled machine that has been in place for a number of years. It reflects the Department for Education’s strategy and the current and well informed data from the completion of the first Condition Data Collection across the schools’ estate.
There is no doubt that bids for CIF will remain incredibly competitive. Even with the extra ￡182m funding released as part of the Government’s ‘Build Build Build’ initiative that was in addition to the original allocation of ￡483m, the funding pot for 20/21 remained over-subscribed. So, it’s worth digging into some of the detail to ensure an application has the best chance of success.
The key drivers for content
Keeping students ‘Safe, Warm and Dry’ are still the key drivers for project submissions. Health & Safety projects will obviously remain high priority however, items which previously would have been seen as less important, such as air conditioning and ventilation, will now be more highly rated due to their role in helping to combat COVID-19.
Achievable deadlines
This is perhaps the biggest change with the deadline for submitting applications shifting from mid-December to January 14th 2021. As well as avoiding an extremely busy time as schools deal with normal operational winter requirements plus the ongoing adjustments for the pandemic – this avoids the previous clash of deadlines for submission of financial statements and account returns. As a previous chair of governors, I can absolutely appreciate the benefit to schools of spreading these deadline dates. It is also important to note that this forms part of CIF guidance, as the DfE is supporting schools that demonstrate good financial management and governance, so it is vital that the accounts returns are submitted in time to avoid a CIF bid being downgraded. And as ever, those bids which are seen to be planned for within a school’s budget and integral to a plan, rather than created only for submission purposes, are more likely to succeed.
Project planning is critical
With regards to official project delivery deadlines, this remains less clear cut and may well be subject to a separate review. This year’s successful CIF bids were announced at about the same time as schools’ re-openings guidance was issued and the latter was obviously a priority. So, as a result a number of 2020 projects have been delayed and extensions requested as the window of opportunity for work has been pretty squeezed. One thing that is clear in this bid round is that project planning will be absolutely vital to both manage supply chain demand and to look at innovate ways of delivering projects out of the usual six week holiday window.
Emphasis on energy
It is worth remembering that there is a still an emphasis on energy improvement projects as CIF is linking to the Salix Energy Efficiency Fund for loans for self-funding eco-projects. Plus, as I mentioned earlier there is also the ￡1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which provides another avenue to schools to access grants for energy improvement projects. These funding pots are important to the government as they not only inject investment into the sector but critically support the 2030 carbon emissions strategy.
And finally, one interesting element that has been removed this year is the caveat that if a chief executive’s salary is deemed too high, the trust is ineligible to apply for CIF. Maybe this is in part recognising of the extremely challenging conditions that MATS and their senior management teams are working in to deliver the best outcomes for students in this ever changing new normal.