CIF 2025: Make Academies Wait Again…
They say all good things come to those who wait, but no one ever specifies how long the purgatory lasts.
For over a decade now, the Department for Education’s (DfE) publication of the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) results has been consistently inconsistent. In its early days, announcements typically landed around Easter (a movable famine in itself). During the COVID years, things were postponed well beyond the summer term and, one year, there was even a surprise second allocation. Then, in a rare twist of efficiency, last year’s announcement came in late March – so early it caught everyone outside of Gillian Keegan’s office completely off guard. Halcyon days, indeed.
The problem is, the later the announcement, the tighter the turnaround for mobilisation before the end of the summer term in July. This adds unnecessary pressure on schools, consultants, delivery partners, and supply chains with everyone scrambling to secure resources and get projects off the ground. The sector has consistently raised concerns about this, but so far, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
The high-water mark of CIF was when 2,074 capital projects were awarded as part of a two round bonus year to extremely grateful and highly deserving eligible academy schools. These projects transformed schools with critical improvements in fire safety, asbestos removal, heating systems, roofs, and more. For eligible academies, CIF remains the only route to secure major capital investment for compliance and condition-based improvements.
Last year was a new low point. Project awards were slashed by nearly 50% compared to the scheme’s early years. Static budgets, rising inflation, and a growing backlog of dilapidated school infrastructure all contributed to the drop. Layer on the government’s net-zero 2050 ambitions, and the pressure on schools has never been greater.
Following Labour’s return to power last July after 14 years in opposition and having made much of the Conservatives’ track record on school infrastructure. hopes were high that investment in the education estate would finally return to levels associated with previous Labour administrations.
Keeping to their word, that the announcement would be in ‘May’ the 2025-26 announcement came on the 30th May and with it, new records, not many of them good.
• CIF allocation £470 million (Rise of 4.4% from 2024-25)
• Number of projects awarded: 789 (All-time record low)
• Types of projects funded: (Fire Safety and other projects posing a risk to life)
• Average award size: £580k (All-time record high)
• Success rate: Circa 1 in 3 (All-time record low number of eligible school applicants)
For those schools whose bids were successful, this funding is truly transformative. It improves not just safety and infrastructure, but also the learning environment, morale, and even the ability to attract and retain staff and students. For those who missed out, the frustration is deep and entirely justified. The stakes are that high and the winners really do, take it all.
If your school was unsuccessful in this round, don’t lose heart. Start planning now for the next application cycle. Seek support, gather evidence, and strengthen your case. And for those awarded- mobilise quickly, deliver effectively, and share your success stories. The sector needs both the wins and the lessons learned to continue pushing for the investment our children and educators deserve.
Email me at tim@warnefordconsulting.com if you’d like to talk through your unsuccessful CIF bid.
