How to secure maintenance funding as budgets tighten
With the school funding crisis deepening, maintaining your school estate whilst balancing your budget is becoming more difficult.
Some 56% of school leaders are predicting reducing maintenance and/or capital spending, according to a study by the NAHT union.
It’s why academies and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) need all the help they can get in sourcing grants to carry out vital repairs.
In the face of rising costs, accessing government funding is more important than ever and Surveyors to Education (S2e) can help.
Whether you require capital for a new classroom block, to make condition improvements or decarbonise your estate, you cannot leave funding to chance.
As budgets are squeezed, engaging experts can give your school the best shot at making a successful application for schemes such as the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
Over £300m secured for clients
S2e has a proven track record in securing funding and can manage the whole process from assessment to application to delivery.
Since 2003 we have secured over £300m for our academy clients.
Take the CIF. This is an annual bidding round for projects to address significant condition need, with the highest priority going to those tackling structural safety, fire protection systems, gas and electrical safety, and emergency asbestos removal.
Only around a third of CIF applications are accepted each year – but S2e’s success rate for clients is an outstanding 85%.
The NAHT survey of 11,000 school leaders – the biggest such investigation ever taken – also found that 51% will be reducing energy consumption to save money.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) can provide funding to install lower-carbon heating and energy-efficiency improvements in your buildings – helping to cut your school’s energy bills, reduce fossil fuel emissions and fight climate change.
100% funding success
When results for the previous phase of the scheme were announced earlier this year, S2e achieved a 100% funding success rate for over 30 schools and academies.
Regulations for the CIF, PSDS and other funds are complex, however, and making an application can be a daunting process. Professional support can offer the best chance of success and S2e can advise on all aspects.
Don’t just take our word for it.
Expert advisors can help MATs make best use of resources to improve their buildings and better manage their estates, according to a Department for Education pilot programme.
Under the Capital Advisers Programme, experts such as qualified chartered surveyors or building services engineers were allocated to 20 MATs to help them make more efficient spending decisions and improve building safety.
The results showed that using such experts can really help MATs understand the condition of their buildings, which is fundamental to prioritising spending and managing estates to improve pupil outcomes – in fact, use of best practice rose from 61% to 92%.
Speak to S2e today to make sure all your applications are as strong as they can be.
Contact us on 0116 5070130 or email enquire@s2e.org.uk.
