Surprise rippled through the consultancy circles a short while ago, as the Conditional Improvement Fund (CIF) results for 2024-2025 applicants came in.
It was several weeks earlier than anticipated, and while catching many off guard, this early revelation is a welcome development for our team.
Not to mention the schools nationwide it will be helping.
Albeit just a few additional weeks, we do now have the extra time to develop our plans further. With any project planning, time is a crucial element so this has helped us in many ways.
With lead times for products sometimes being a challenge, this has now become more manageable, and we’ll be seizing the opportunity to secure necessary resources well in advance. It also means that come day one of the projects, everything will be in place, eliminating potential delays that we always work hard to avoid anyway.
Another notable advantage of the early announcement will be the ability to capitalise on the upcoming breaks in the academic calendar. For instance, with the May half term fast approaching, we’re already making preparations for erecting scaffolding ahead of schedule.
Taking a look at the successful CIF 2024 to 2025 applications, its interesting to see the scale of participation. The gov.co.uk site states that there were 4,363 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary-aided schools eligible to apply to CIF 2024 to 2025. Just over 46% of those (2,016) applied for 3,034 projects. This certainly reflects the widespread need for infrastructure upgrades and enhancements on education sites.
The Department for Education (DfE) made just under £450 million available for the CIF 2024-2025 programme. A slight, yet significant drop from the previous year. At the end of March 2024, it confirmed 866 projects at 733 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary-aided schools. Within that, 40 projects were still pending approval, subject to further due diligence.
We’ve succeeded in securing £4.5 million of that fund for the CIF projects we bid for. Which can be seen as a notable 1% share of the entire national fund.
The projects we will be working on emcompass a diverse array of needs, from crucial safety upgrades like fire doors to essential infrastructure like boilers.
As we gear up for the months ahead, the early CIF results have set a promising tone, underscoring our commitment to providing students with safe, modern, and conducive learning environments.
Furthermore, beyond CIF eligibility, we’ve successfully secured funding for additional projects, setting the stage for a bustling summer for our team. Infact its already begun.
Want to know more? Send an email to one of our team members today to find out how we can support you.
