Inclusion base design for mainstream schools: how to brief, size and deliver an SEN base, drawing on the DfE inclusion bases guidance of June 2026

Which condition improvement fund consultants have the strongest track record for standalone academies and small MATs? The questions to ask any firm

BB104 area guidelines explained for SEN school design: classroom sizes, gross area, circulation, hygiene rooms and site space, quoted from the DfE text

Is CIF funding ending? What the DfE education estates strategy says about the programme planned to replace CIF from autumn 2028, and how to prepare

Rushed surveys make weak CIF bids. What academies, VA schools and sixth-form colleges should have ready before the next round opens in the autumn.

CIF can fund new classrooms or a replacement block, but only a small share goes to expansion. How to pick the right category and build a bid that scores.

CIF, LCVAP, Salix and sports grants compared: who qualifies for each, what each funds and how to combine them. A plain guide for schools in England.

What an education building survey covers, what it typically costs and how its condition grades become evidence for a CIF bid. A guide for school leaders.

Only around a third of CIF bids succeed. A month-by-month plan, from a September needs review to governor sign-off, so your bid is ready on time.

A step-by-step playbook for developing brownfield land for housing, from contamination checks to remediation and planning, with a listed-office case study.

What CIF assessors expect from a condition survey: independent, recent and graded by condition and priority. Why survey quality often decides a bid.

Who can bid for the Condition Improvement Fund, how bids are scored on need, cost and planning, and the evidence assessors expect from schools and trusts.

How councils can cut school building costs without cutting quality: a clear brief, value engineering, modern methods of construction and lifecycle costing.

What Ofsted and the DfE look for in school buildings, from government space guidelines to safeguarding and SEND access, with a checklist for councils.

The commissioning mistakes that cost councils time and money on school projects, from late SEND input to vague tenders, and how to avoid each one.