Over 1,000 school improvement projects are set to be approved by the government. The projects aim to improve the condition and energy efficiency of the schools in the UK
A total of £456m has been allocated for school improvement projects, benefitting 859 academies, sixth-form colleges, and voluntary aided schools across the country.
This funding will guarantee that students can study in secure, well-heated, and energy-efficient classrooms.
The government has pledged £1.8bn of capital funding for school improvement projects in 2023-24. This includes a previously announced allocation of £1.1bn for local authorities, large multi-academy trusts, and voluntary aided bodies in March.
How to access the capital funding
This funding is accessible through the school condition allocations (SCA), which involves funds being disbursed to responsible bodies for school building maintenance.
It is also available through the condition improvement fund (CIF), a competitive bidding process where funds are directly allocated to single academy trusts, small multi-academy trusts (MATs), small voluntary aided (VA) bodies, and sixth-form colleges.
The funding must be used for capital projects, with a focus on initiatives that enhance the energy efficiency of school facilities.
However, if local circumstances deem energy efficiency improvements unsuitable, schools have the right to allocate the funding towards other capital projects.
School improvement projects can enhance the quality of learning
“Our Condition Improvement Fund has already completed over eleven thousand projects, making a difference to pupils and teachers across the country. These projects help to create safer learning environments that make a difference to the quality of education for pupils,” said the minister for the school system, Baroness Diana Barran.
“It’s hugely important that every school has access to high-quality learning facilities, and these funding allocations will make sure that responsible bodies can start to plan ahead and get projects started to replace roofs, boilers and windows – so pupils and teachers can learn and work in a comfortable space,” she added.
Since 2015, the Department has assigned over £15bn to fulfil the government’s ambition of providing schools with secure and well-maintained facilities.
The recent announcement revealed that 400 out of 500 schools and sixth-form colleges have now been chosen for reconstruction as part of the ten-year program.
This builds upon the previously announced 239 new school buildings under the Schools Rebuilding Programme in December.
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