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<p>Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and staff. It is the responsibility
of those who run schools - academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary-aided school
bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the Department
if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where
the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action
is taken.</p><p>The Department has committed £1.8 billion of capital funding for the
2023/24 financial year to improve the condition of school buildings, as part of over
£15 billion allocated since 2015. In addition, the Department will transform poor
condition buildings at 500 schools and sixth form colleges over the coming decade
through the School Rebuilding Programme, including Farringdon Community Academy in
Houghton and Sunderland South.</p><p>Local Authorities, larger multi academy trusts
and larger voluntary aided bodies are eligible to receive an annual School Condition
Allocation (SCA) to prioritise on improving the condition of their schools. Smaller
and stand-alone academy trusts, small voluntary aided school bodies and sixth form
colleges are instead able to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), an annual
bidding round, to apply for funding for specific capital projects. More information
can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund</a>.</p><p>Allocations
to improve the condition of schools take into account consistent data from the Condition
Data Collection (CDC1) to ensure funding is weighted to reflect the relative condition
of school buildings. The Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) is collecting updated
data on the condition of schools in England. Reports from the programmes are shared
with schools and responsible bodies to help inform their plans, alongside their own
condition surveys and checks.</p><p>Schools also receive funding to spend on their
capital priorities or to contribute to larger projects through an annual Devolved
Formula Capital allocation (DFC). Details of SCA and DFC allocations for the current
financial year are available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2022-to-2023-financial-year"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2022-to-2023-financial-year</a>.
For previous years, they are available at: <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/*/https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations"
target="_blank">https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/*/https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations</a>.</p><p>For
the 2023/24 financial year, Aldersley High School, Kenilworth School and Sixth Form,
The St Lawrence’s Academy, Accrington St Christopher’s Church of England High School
and Dormanstown Primary Academy were all eligible to bid into the Condition Improvement
Fund. Applications to the CIF are robustly assessed against the published criteria,
prioritising need, and feedback is provided on unsuccessful applications. All successful
CIF bids are published here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund</a>.</p><p>Where
the Department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building that cannot
be managed with local resources, it provides additional support on a case-by-case
basis. CIF eligible schools can apply for urgent capital support at any time in the
year, if they have urgent building issues that need to be addressed.</p><p>The Department
also provides extensive guidance for responsible bodies to help them manage their
estates effectively through resources such as the Good Estate Management for Schools
guidance.</p>
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