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Tag Archives: ESFA

What is the ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency)?

The ESFA is essentially an amalgamation of the EFA (Education Funding Agency) and the SFA (Skills Funding Agency). They hold responsibility for £63 billion of funding for the education and training sector. Additionally, the ESFA:

  • Provide assurance that public funds are properly spent
  • Ensure that schools academies and colleges achieve tax-payer value for money
  • Establishes that schools academies and colleges deliver the policies and priorities set out by the Secretary of State.

The agency also intervenes where schools are at risk of failure, and where there’s evidence of mismanagement of public funds.

Academy schools can apply to the agency for additional funding under the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). Successful bids not only have to demonstrate a genuine need for improvement, but also provide some investment themselves. The academy can either choose to make this investment via capital expenditure, or apply for a Salix loan.

The ESFA make an assessment of the most deserving bids once the application deadline has passed, and award the funds accordingly. There is then a process for appeals should an academy wish to press their case further.

Many academies choose to select a consultant to help them with their application. Essex-based architectural and Surveying practice, Munday and Cramer have a high success rate and actually secured 5% of the total national fund last year for their partner academies.

19
Jun 2023

Who are the ESFA and what do they do?

Structural and condition issues can not only be costly to fix, but extremely disruptive. When it comes to running a school, regular maintenance is required to help you avoid any issues arising. This being said, not all breakages can be pre-empted and foreseen. It’s in these instances that bodies such as the ESFA are helpful, providing vital funding where it’s needed most. Who are the ESFA? This acronym stands for the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Sponsored by the Department for Education, the ESFA is a division of the Government. They provide funding to schools and colleges in desperate need […]

Image of a piggy bank to indicate school funding provided by the ESFA
10
Oct 2022

ESFA CIF Funding: Changes for 2023/24

Struggling to understand the ins and outs of the new criteria for the next round of ESFA CIF funding? As professional bid writers for over 40 years, our team are always up to date with the latest criteria. What’s more, we also have an incredibly high success rate when bidding for CIF projects.  Interested in knowing more about changes for the next round of CIF and how we can help streamline the process? Keep reading!  Who are the ESFA? ESFA stands for the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Part of the Government, the ESFA are responsible for deciding which educational […]

ESFA CIF funding for schools
3
Apr 2018

Over £22 Million In CIF Funding Secured For Academies In 2018/9 Round

Munday + Cramer have once again beaten the odds, securing in excess of £22 million in funding from the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). The Education and Skills Funding Agency recently announced the results of the annual funding round. An unprecedented £1.3 billion was requested across across 3,800 projects! In total 1556 schemes were funded for 1299 academies and sixth-form colleges, amounting to £514 million. Of this, £38 million was funded using the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund (HPCF), designated to help improve children and young people’s physical and mental health. The Condition Improvement Fund is dedicated to supporting academies, free schools and sixth-form colleges […]

20
Oct 2017

CIF Bidding for 2018/9 opens

The Education and Skills Funding Agency have this week opened CIF bidding for the 2018/9 round for academies and sixth-form colleges. As with previous years, the bidding window will close in mid-December, this year on the 14th. The now-familiar portal will be central to all CIF bidding activities; and will follow the same format. Whilst the Condition Improvement Fund remains focused on the condition of buildings, there are a number of changes within this round: Healthy Pupils Capital Fund Following an announcement by the ESFA in February; funding from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (commonly known as the Sugary Drinks […]

CIF Bidding for 2018/9 has now been opened by the Education and Skills Funding Agency
18
Jul 2017

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
4
Apr 2017

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
30
Jan 2017

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