Munday and Cramer

Tag Archives: Condition Improvement Fund


The Condition Improvement Fund is a government fund for the improvement of school buildings.

Many academies have inherited buildings from converter schools which are no longer in a workable condition. The ESFA controls the Condition Improvement Fund. Academies can apply for a share of an annual budget. They can then use the money to make make the required improvements.

Condition is one if the key criteria for success. Examples include schemes to replace or renew areas where safety is compromised, or where the building will suffer further deterioration if the academy takes no action. Alternatively, overcrowding is another reason for an application. Some academies already have a problem with overcrowding. Others need to expand, but the building is unable to accommodate more students.

How do Academies access the money?

Academies must submit a bid with extensive details and plans of the proposed scheme. This includes a feasibility study and projected costs, including the cost of no action. Costs are not always financial. Where safety is compromised, the cost of no action is potentially much higher.

The application process itself can be a daunting prospect. The academy must prepare a number of documents and have supporting information ready to back up their claim.

Acadmies may of course prepare their own application for the ESFA to consider. However, many engage the services of architectural/surveying practices such as Munday and Cramer. This Essex-based practice use their considerable skill and experience to work with the academy and prepare the bid for submission.

Academy best practice is to have a 5 year asset management plan in place. This document can form the base of supporting evidence for a CIF bid. Surveying practices can help with the preparation of these if required. They will also manage the planning process for a bid if necessary.

A collaborative partnership is formed between practice and academy and bid preparation, is completed free of charge to the academy. This is on the understanding that the practice will manage works resulting from successful bids, thus earning a fee.

What cost to the academy themselves?

Academies must fund a portion of the costs themselves, either through capital expenditure, or via Salix loans. However, some types of works do not qualify for Salix. A good surveying practice will certainly be able to advise schools on what is and isn’t viable.

£506m was awarded for 1576 projects in total last year 2017-2018. In 2018/19, academies will be bidding for a share of a similar sum

CIF Appeal Success


Munday + Cramer have achieved further success for Academy clients today within the 2017/8 CIF round. The announcement of the successful CIF appeal applications across the UK increased M+C’s haul by a further six projects. With just 75 successful applicants within the CIF appeal process; this reinforces the high success levels M+C consistently achieves within the Condition Improvement Fund. The successful CIF appeals provide an additional £2.6m of funding, for the six academies located across Essex, Thurrock and Kent. This brings Munday + Cramer’s total haul for Condition Improvement Fund work to £22.6M in 2017/8. This means that M+C secured […]

CIF Appeal Process Success

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) – 2017 Successes


Munday + Cramer has again seen extraordinary growth in work secured under the Condition Improvement Fund from the EFA. For the fourth successive year, the Essex building surveying and architectural practice has outpaced the market. Projects with a total value exceeding £20.0M have been secured; representing a 63% increased in workload secured compared to 2016. The Condition Improvement Fund is organised by the Education Funding Agency annually. The fund is competed for by academy and free schools across the UK, to support condition-related projects. Over 3800 bid applications were made in the most recent round for the available £466.0M. Projects that […]

Munday + Cramer achieved huge success in the EFA's Condition Improvement Fund for Academies for the fourth successive year securing over £20.0M in funding

More than breaking ground… A new swimming pool!


Works at Green Street Green Primary School in Orpington, Kent recently begun to provide a new swimming pool, library and music room. Funded via the EFA‘s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), the scheme will provide dedicated, modern facilities in keeping with the rest of the school. The existing swimming pool facilities were in poor condition, not fit for purpose and requiring an urgent upgrade. The adjacent music room and library were housed in a dilapidated demountable building. This scheme will provide a single building, designed to accommodate the split levels posed by the site. A new music room and library will be provided […]

Green Street Green Swimming Pool

M+C start the busy summer CIF roofing works season


Munday + Cramer have started a range of roofing schemes on site this week in relation to CIF bids from the most recent round of funding from the Education Funding Agency. The full extent of this year’s £12.0 million of works are currently being finalised with clients, but this week sees the start of work on site for clients including Gable Hall School, Dilkes Academy and Benyon Primary School. All of these schemes are for roof replacement work, and illustrate the particular level of success seen by Munday + Cramer for this type of work each year. For Gable Hall School, […]

Benyon Primary School - Roof Replacement