Last week, the Department for Education announced the most recent funding round from the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), with nearly £500 million of funding announced for 1,466 projects at 1,199 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools across the country.
I am pleased that three schools across the Forest have benefitted from this funding round – the Forest High School in Cinderford, the Dean Academy in Lydney and Newent’s Community School and Sixth Form Centre.
From fire safety works to roof replacement works, these are important projects that will take place thanks to this enhanced package of funding from the Government.
The core priority of the CIF is keeping eligible academy, sixth-form college and voluntary aided school buildings safe and in good working order. This includes funding projects to address health and safety issues, building compliance and any building condition issues. Most CIF funding aims to address issues with significant consequences that revenue or Devolved Formula Capital funding cannot meet. These include issues with poor building condition, building compliance, energy efficiency and health and safety.
Local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary aided school bodies, such as dioceses, instead receive a School Condition Allocation to invest in condition priorities across their schools.
CIF also supports a small proportion of expansion projects for Ofsted-rated good or outstanding academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools that need to expand their existing facilities and/or floor space to either increase the number of admissions in the main year of entry or address overcrowding.
I know from my recent virtual and physical visits to primary and secondary schools across the Forest that it’s vitally important that children are back learning at school and that it was right to push the Government to get children back to classrooms earlier this year.
The best place for learning is at school rather than at home, and these extra funding packages will ensure that facilities are improved.