Schools’ Soul-destroying Bids To Fix Broken Buildings

Hundreds of schools have repeatedly missed out in their applications for funding to repair rundown buildings and are repeatedly facing “soul-destroying” rejections in applying for funding to fix crumbling school buildings, while others have enjoyed much more success.

School leaders say they are wasting time and resources bidding for funding - only to be knocked back multiple times and left with collapsing roofs and leaking windows.

They describe the process of applying for funding through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) - aimed at addressing “significant” need - as a “form of madness” that is delaying crucial work.

The scale of the problem is borne out in data, seen by Tes, revealing that more than 400 schools have had at least three CIF applications rejected since 2016 without a single successful bid.

And 50 schools have had seven or more rejections without success, according to the Department for Education data, obtained via a freedom of information (FOI) request.

Tes’ investigation shows how the funding process is “failing too many schools”, warns James Bowen, director of policy at the NAHT school leaders’ union.

It also reveals that applications to the fund are not considered entirely on merit, according to school business experts.

CIF funding is open to smaller academy trusts, as well as some voluntary aided schools and sixth-form colleges - meaning there are around 5,000 schools in total that are eligible to apply for the fund.

But a large amount of the school estate was constructed decades ago and needs an “increasing amount of maintenance and repair”, according to Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

The need for more funding

Given that only around 1,400 to 1,500 bids have been accepted per year over the past few years, the CIF process “inevitably results in some buildings that are in urgent need of improvement getting bypassed,” says Harnden.

That many school buildings are in a poor state of repair is undisputed: in 2017, a National Audit Office report suggested that it would cost £6.7 billion to return all school buildings to satisfactory or better condition, and a further £7.1 billion to bring parts of school buildings from satisfactory to good condition.

And as recently as last year, a report by the Department for Education put the cost of repairing or replacing “all defective elements in the school estate” at £11.4 billion.

Harnden says the government “must do more” to increase the capital funding available so that schools are not having to compete against each other to receive cash.

“Seeing repeated bids turned down can be soul-destroying for those involved and, on each occasion, more time passes when the improvement work needed cannot be started and the condition of buildings worsens,” she adds.

A DfE spokesperson says it has supported 12,400 CIF projects and allocated more than £13 billion to improve the condition of schools since 2015.

They add: “On average, around one-third of applications are successful each year, with applications solely assessed on need. We continue to support applicants throughout the application process.”

By Callum Mason, Tes Magazine, tes.com