£456m School Condition Improvement Fund Projects Announced

OVER 1,000 school building improvement projects will receive the green light today (23 May) as part of plans to improve the condition of the school estate.

A total of 859 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary-aided schools in every region of the country will receive a share of a £456 million pot created to help refurbish and repair school buildings.

The condition improvement funding of £1.8 billion for capital projects for the financial year 2023 to 2024 will improve the condition of school buildings. It includes £1.1 billion for local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and voluntary aided bodies announced in March.

Minister for the School System, Baroness Diana Barran, said: “Our Condition Improvement Fund has already completed over 11,000 projects. 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.”

RIBA has previously warned of the dangerous condition of England’s school estate.

Simon Allford, RIBA President

Responding to the Government’s announcement, RIBA President Simon Allford, said: “England’s school estate remains in serious disrepair, so I am pleased to see this funding to make much-needed upgrades. However, after many years of funding falling in real terms, this only represents a small proportion of the amount needed.

“We would urge the Government to publish the Buildings Conditions Survey – so we can better understand the scale of the problem we face.”

The government funding announcement follows on from 239 new school buildings confirmed in December as part of the Schools Rebuilding Programme. To date, 500 schools and sixth-form colleges have been selected for rebuilds through a 10-year programme. The department says it has has allocated over £15 billion since 2015.

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