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<p>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 of a building that
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. A list of
all schools selected for the programme is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>It
is important to note that it was only since 2010, and the subsequent introduction
of the Priority School Rebuilding Programme, and its successors, that building condition
was made the driver for schools to be chosen for rebuilding. Previous programmes,
such as the Building Schools for the Future (BSF), prioritised rebuilding for non-condition
related reasons. Furthermore, the inclusion of a school within BSF did not mean it
necessarily addressed the presence of RAAC. Several schools now confirmed as containing
RAAC through the Department’s questionnaire and surveying programme were refurbished
under BSF.</p><p>Local Authorities, larger multi academy trusts and larger voluntary
aided bodies are eligible to receive an annual School Condition Allocation (SCA).
It is for these responsible bodies to prioritise SCA across their schools based on
local knowledge of the condition of their buildings. 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. Information on CIF and SCA eligible schools
for the 2023/24 financial year is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2023-to-2024-financial-year"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2023-to-2024-financial-year</a>.</p><p>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>The
Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme was the first ever comprehensive survey
of the school estate. Previous administrations did not have consistent national data
to understand the condition of the school estate. The survey, which ran from 2017-19,
under which approximately 22,000 government funded schools and 250 further education
establishments in England were visited, allowed the Department to understand the condition
of the school and further education college estate and informed capital funding and
programmes. 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 is in
progress to collect 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>.
Allocations for previous years 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>Where
the Department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building that cannot
be managed with local resources, the Department 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. 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><p>The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children
and staff in education settings at the heart of its policy decisions.</p>
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