ARTICLES & FAQs

A head of science's guide to school science block refurbishment: lab sizes and layouts, prep rooms, gas, water and fume cupboards, phasing and funding

A BB103 check for deputy heads: compare your rooms, room mix and timetable use with the area guidelines before you plan a remodel or extension

Academy due diligence condition survey guide for trusts: what a joining school brings, what DfE guidance asks and how to scope a proportionate survey

Hosting a resource base in Oxfordshire: where the council is adding SEND places, how it chooses host schools and what the building must provide

CDM 2015 client duties for schools explained: appointing a principal designer, the information you must give, HSE notification and summer works

Boarding house design for independent schools: what the brief should settle on house size, supervision, bedrooms, staff flats and night safety

The SENCO role in SEN building design: what evidence to give the architect, from the needs profile and EHC plan trends to regulation and staffing

Governors capital project approval: the evidence a board should see on need, options, cost, funding, procurement and CDM, and the red flags to spot

Building work during term time at school: how heads plan phasing, contractor safeguarding, exams, decant classrooms and parents while teaching continues

The DfE school estate management standards explained for trust estates leads: the annual return, the capability support plan and the evidence to have ready

How an academy trust board builds an estate masterplan: the data it needs, how to rank schools, which funding fits and the decisions trustees take

School condition allocation explained for academy trusts: who receives SCA, what the DfE expects it to fund and how to prioritise it across an estate

School building grants in England explained: CIF, SCA, devolved formula capital and high needs capital, who each is for and how to secure the most

Architects for schools: what they do on a capital project, what to check before you appoint, questions to ask and the red flags to watch for

How to read a school condition assessment, what condition grades and priority ratings mean, and how to turn the findings into a costed plan for five years

How a SEN building is planned: the brief, the specialist spaces and site area BB104 recommends, and the capital routes that fund new SEN places

What a SEND school facilities assessment must cover: specialist rooms, BB104 suitability, safe survey visits and CIF evidence for special schools

How to choose school surveyors for a CIF bid: what the DfE requires of a condition survey, who counts as independent and what to ask before appointing

SEN classrooms explained: the rooms each class base needs beside it, how to lay out a suite, and the recommended sizes and group numbers

The CIF application form for 2027 to 2028 explained section by section: what each part asks for, the evidence it needs and where bids lose marks

CIF guidance for 2027 to 2028 mapped: the gov.uk page, the information for applicants, its annexes and the portal documents, and what each covers

CIF bid support for 2027 to 2028: what the DfE requires when a school uses a technical adviser, how to procure one and what good support covers

CIF funding for modular classrooms: when replacing a worn out temporary block can be a condition bid, when it is expansion, and the evidence it needs

CIF bid unsuccessful last round? What changed for 2027 to 2028, how to review need, cost and planning, and whether your condition survey still counts

CIF outcomes are expected in May 2027 with appeals from June. What each result means, how past rounds went and what to do after a yes or a no

The difference between CIF, SCA and urgent capital support for schools: who receives each, who has to bid, and what to do if a fault threatens closure

What the CIF options appraisal must show in 2027 to 2028 bids: options, costs, risks, the preferred option and why, page limits and where bids fall short

CIF asbestos removal explained: when the fund supports it, why RAAC bids are not accepted, and the evidence a school needs before it applies

CIF fire safety bids explained: why fire and compliance works get the highest priority, the evidence assessors expect and how to scope the project

CIF boiler replacement, heating and rewiring bids: how the DfE ranks the work and the evidence and costed options a strong case needs this round

CIF funding for a roof: what a 2027 to 2028 roof replacement bid must evidence, from the independent survey and photographs to the costed options

CIF 2027 to 2028 dates and rule changes: new applicants register by 12 noon on 30 November, bids close 15 December, plus the new scoring and evidence rules

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 for SEND and AP: more space per pupil place than mainstream, a 55m2 standard classroom for 12 ambulant pupils and wider corridors

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 for the CIF 2027 to 2028 deadline on 15 December

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, how the process runs, what it costs and how its condition grades become evidence for a CIF bid, 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.

What the Condition Improvement Fund is, who can apply, how CIF bids are scored and the evidence academies, VA schools and sixth-form colleges need

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.