20% boost to school and academy maintenance fund

May 7, 2021 Adam Richards

Every school and academy in England can claim a share of almost £1.8 billion this year to help keep their school buildings in the best possible condition, the Government has announced.

It has boosted its annual allocations to maintain school and academy buildings by 20% as part of its “build back better from the pandemic” pledge.

This follows a one-off funding injection of £560 million in 2020 to make sure dilapidated school buildings do not hold any child back from achieving their potential. The first wave of the School Rebuilding Programme announced last year is also on track, with site inspections and detailed planning work underway with the 50 schools involved.

Investment and financial support

Schools Minister Baroness Berridge said: “I know teachers and heads are spending every hour of the working day thinking about how they can make sure the students at their schools recover from the impact of the pandemic, and making sure all children and staff remain safe following the welcome return to face-to-face teaching.

“Alongside our ambitious rebuilding programme for the schools in the worst condition, we are making sure every school has the investment and financial support it needs to build back better for its students.”

Local authorities, larger Multi-Academy Trusts and Voluntary Aided school bodies, such as dioceses, have been allocated funding in accordance with the latest data on their estates.

Smaller academy trusts and sixth form colleges have been able to submit bids to the Department for Education (DfE) through the Condition Improvement Fund process, so those with essential maintenance needs do not lose out. In addition, all schools have been allocated individual funding according to their size.

More details on the School Rebuilding Programme will follow later this year, with projects ranging from replacing or refurbishing individual school buildings to whole school rebuilds.

Optimum learning environment

The DfE will also begin a consultation on how schools are prioritised for future rounds of the long-term programme, including the need to provide evidence to support prioritisation.

Finding the right programmes to bid for, completing funding applications, gathering evidence and presenting the best possible case can be complex and time consuming.

Qualified chartered building surveyors for education such as Surveyors for Education can ease the burden with the professional support to help you create an optimum learning environment.