CIF funding for roof replacement: what evidence a 2027 to 2028 bid needs

By Grayling Thomas Architects · October 2026

Yes, the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) pays for roofs, and a failing roof is one of the projects it is designed for. The Department for Education (DfE) says "We expect the majority of projects supported through CIF to involve the replacement of high-priority components such as structural elements, boilers and electrics, fire doors and alarms, roof coverings and windows, and asbestos removal". After compliance and health and safety issues, and "critical replacements of coal and oil-fired boilers with low carbon heating alternatives where there is a risk of school closure", it then gives priority to "projects that ensure weather tightness of buildings". What wins a roof bid is evidence. For this round that means an independent, graded condition survey (with a CDC2 condition data report alongside it if yours is dated within 3 years), labelled photographs of several sections of the roof, a bespoke costed options appraisal (for a roof, usually do nothing, repair, overlay and full replacement), and a realistic programme with planning checked.

The round opened on 21 October 2026 and applications close at 12 noon, 15 December 2026. New applicants must register for a CIF portal account by 12 noon, 30 November 2026. CIF is for eligible academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided (VA) schools; maintained schools other than VA schools are generally not eligible and fund condition work through School Condition Allocation (SCA) or other local authority routes instead. Larger trusts are outside CIF too: "MATs and VA bodies or VA groups with five or more schools at the start of September 2026 and at least 3,000 pupils in those schools" "will be eligible for SCA in 2027-28", so they fund roofs from SCA rather than a CIF bid. Grayling Thomas Architects' guide to the CIF 2027 to 2028 key dates and rule changes covers the timetable, who is eligible and the new rules for every project type. This article stays with roofs.

For how CIF bids are scored on need, cost and planning across every project type, see the practice's complete guide to CIF funding for schools.

Will CIF pay for a new school roof?

It can, if the need is proved. The scoring rewards urgency. Among the high-priority categories, the DfE lists life-expired replacement where there is a risk of school closure, including building structure, for example "structural and weather tightness".

Urgency is scored as well as type. The guidance says "You will score high marks if" the urgency is immediate, for example where an issue "must be dealt with over the summer holidays, otherwise likely closure in September 2027", or where an area is already out of use. It is equally plain at the other end: "If the proposed works are not required to be carried out within the next two years, it is unlikely that the application will be successful." A roof that leaks into a classroom every winter has a case. A roof that is merely ageing, with no internal damage and no failed areas, is a weaker one, however old it is.

Before preparing a roof bid, check two routes that sit outside CIF. Works that may be eligible for cover under the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) "should be submitted through the RPA process in the first instance", and a successful CIF bid for the same works "will be placed on hold pending the outcome of the RPA claim". And RAAC roofs are dealt with separately (see below).

What survey evidence does a roof bid need?

Project need carries the most weight. The DfE says "Project need accounts for 55 points from a total of 100 for condition projects", and the roof survey is the core of that evidence.

The DfE's Condition Improvement Fund guidance on gov.uk sets out the rules of the round alongside the information for applicants.

The rules on the survey are specific:

• It must be independent. A survey is not independent "if, for example, it is conducted by a firm that has also quoted or tendered for the work or is a manufacturer of any proposed solution". That rules out a survey from a roofing contractor that is also quoting for the work, or from the manufacturer of the proposed membrane.

• It must be recent. "Surveys should not be older than 1 October 2023." Anything older, or not independent and impartial, "will be discounted and not considered as part of your application."

• It should be graded. The DfE expects "condition grade A to D (from 'good' through to 'bad' condition) and priority rating 1 to 4", and says "We expect surveys to demonstrate D1 to C2 condition issues." If a survey uses a different system, the DfE says "you should ensure the condition grading and prioritisation rating are clearly explained so the assessor can interpret the information correctly."

• It must show who did it. Include the front page with "the date and the surveyor's name and qualification".

• It should explain the consequences. The survey should include "a detailed assessment of the consequences of any delay or failure to undertake the proposed work."

The DfE also says that "generic letters of support from surveyors are not acceptable as evidence". For a roof, specialist evidence strengthens the case: core samples, moisture readings, a record of leaks and internal damage, and maintenance invoices that show money has gone into patch repairs. The practice's article on why a strong condition survey is the key to CIF funding success goes into survey quality more generally, and the education surveys page sets out the condition surveys the practice carries out for schools.

The practice's guide to education building surveys and what school leaders need to know explains how condition grades become evidence for a bid. If the roof is on a special school, the practice's article on condition surveys for special schools covers what else the survey has to address and how to carry it out safely.

Where does the condition data report fit?

From 2021 to 2026, the DfE's Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme was due to "visit every government-funded school in England", so your school is likely to have a report. For roofs it is useful, because among its stated benefits it can "provide a view of roof condition which is not normally seen".

It is not enough by itself. The DfE's information for applicants says "A CDC2 report can be used to support a CIF application, if it is dated within 3 years, but on its own will not be sufficient to make a full assessment of a CIF application." Check the date on yours: a CDC2 report from an early visit may already be more than 3 years old. It expects to see "a CDC2 report supported with additional evidence, e.g., a condition or structural survey." Older CDC1 reports count for nothing: "if CDC1 reports are included, they will be discounted".

Presenting roof photographs in a CIF bid

On photographs, the guidance names roofing projects directly. It asks for photographs that are "clear and sufficiently detailed", and continues: "if you are applying for a roofing project, provide photographs of multiple sections of the roof(s). Photographs should be labelled with commentary on the issue being illustrated."

A good set usually includes:

• a view of each roof area, keyed to a roof plan;

• close-ups of the defects: split membrane, slipped or missing slates, ponding, failed flashings and outlets;

• the inside as well as the outside, with stained ceilings, buckets and taped-off rooms;

• a short caption under each photograph saying where it is and what it shows.

Size matters too. "We have introduced an additional 1MB upload that you can use for photographs." Photographs that are "heavily pixelated, unclear, or otherwise offer insufficient detail may be disregarded", so compress the files by reducing their pixel dimensions rather than their clarity.

Repair, overlay or full replacement in the roof options appraisal

Every application in this round needs a bespoke, costed options appraisal, and "If no options appraisal is included, your application may be disqualified." For a roof, the real choices are usually:

The DfE wants to see that "alternative solutions have been thoroughly considered and evaluated, including the costs, benefits, and risks associated with each option." It asks applicants to "Show that lower-cost options have been considered, and, if not chosen, this is justified", and to "Always present a “do nothing” option". It also warns against reusing an appraisal: "Applications may be disqualified where it is identified that the same costed options appraisal has been used in more than one application."

A roof replacement is also a natural point to improve insulation and to consider solar panels. But the condition need must carry the bid: the DfE says "Sustainability and energy efficiency must not be the sole justification for replacement." Where it applies, "the options appraisal should include a sustainable and/or net zero-carbon solution".

Planning and programme evidence for a roof bid

Project planning "accounts for 20 points from a total of 100 for all projects". For a roof, that means a programme built around the school year, with the noisiest and most disruptive work in the summer holidays, and a risk register written for this roof: weather, asbestos in the existing build-up, access and scaffolding, and work over occupied rooms.

Planning permission needs checking early. "It is your responsibility to consult your local planning authority to check if planning permission is required before applying to CIF." A change of roof material, a raised roof level or new rooflights on a listed building or in a conservation area can all need consent. The timescales criterion gives top marks where "readiness milestones (e.g., planning approval) need to be complete by May 2027", and the DfE expects "smaller projects to be delivered within the 2027-28 financial year and larger projects, by the end of the 2028-29 financial year." It also says "Projects should not begin before June 2027."

RAAC roofs are outside CIF

CIF will not accept applications for RAAC roofs. The guidance states that "CIF applications for RAAC mitigations and/or RAAC roof replacements will not be accepted", because the DfE funds RAAC removal through a separate route. Schools with RAAC removal funding "can still apply for CIF funding in the usual way to address these other non-RAAC condition issues", but "should highlight in your CIF application if the project may be impacted by the presence of RAAC and the work that will be planned to permanently remove it".

Choosing an adviser for a CIF roof bid

The DfE says "You can use a technical adviser or representative to help prepare your application, but this isn't a mandatory requirement." It adds: "As with any procurement, you should undertake appropriate due diligence before selecting a supplier and ensure that the adviser has the skills, experience and capacity necessary to meet your requirements." It strongly recommends "appointing advisers who are members of recognised professional bodies, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) or Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)". It also says applicants "must clearly explain and adequately evidence a compliant procurement process undertaken to appoint their technical adviser."

For a roof, the most useful test is independence. An adviser who surveys the roof should not also be quoting for the work or selling the product. The DfE says "You must declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest in the application form, so that they can be considered as part of the assessment", and warns that a conflict between the technical adviser and others involved in the application "may result in the application being disqualified." Ask whether the adviser can produce the options appraisal and a buildable design, and see the project through to completion if it is funded. If the same firm also carries out the condition survey, check that it has not quoted or tendered for the works, and declare the arrangement in the application form.

Where the roof needs a new design as well as a bid, the practice's guide to choosing an architect for a school capital project sets out what to check before appointing one.

Related guides

• CIF 2027 to 2028: key dates, rule changes and what to prepare by 15 December

• The CIF application for 2027 to 2028: a section-by-section walkthrough

• School condition surveyors: what the role covers in a CIF bid and how to choose one

• CIF for heating, boilers and electrics: building the case in 2027 to 2028

Grayling Thomas Architects and CIF roof replacement bids

We are a RIBA Chartered Practice that designs and delivers large school buildings. On a CIF roof bid we work as lead consultant and architect, preparing the evidence, the design and the costed options with the school, and, if the bid succeeds, seeing the project through design and delivery. Our CIF funding page explains how we work on CIF projects.

Grayling Thomas Architects was CIF bid writer, lead consultant and architect for Dorothy Goodman School in Hinckley, a new building for an existing special school, funded through the Condition Improvement Fund.

If your roof is failing and you want to bid this round, talk to us early, because any appointment needs to follow your own procurement process. Use our CIF enquiry form.