ASCL welcomed the school rebuilding programme, with its intention to rebuild and refurbish 500 schools and sixth form colleges in England. However, based on the Department for Education’s own reports, we are not convinced that the programme goes far enough in meeting the overall requirements for fundamental repairs and refurbishments. We believe that the government needs to develop a more strategic and sustainable approach to maintaining the school and college estate, and provide a less disparate approach to capital funding.

ASCL believes that the funding available through devolved formula capital allocations is insufficient to meet the intended function, and that the current distribution methodology does not accurately reflect condition. It is also the case that the lack of coherence between different strands of schools’ capital represents a barrier to keeping some schools in a condition deemed fit for purpose. For example, the DFC allocation may be significantly below the minimum threshold for applying for condition improvement funding (CIF). 

Full response to consultation