School capital funding (update)
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An overview of school capital funding, who it's for, current and
past allocations, how it's calculated and spending guidance
Published 4 April 2019 Last updated 27 March 2025 — See all updates
Contents Overview Who the funding is for Funding allocations for
the 2025 to 2026 financial year How the funding is calculated and
what it can be spent on Eligibility for SCA for the 2025 to 2026
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An overview of school capital funding, who it's for, current and past allocations, how it's calculated and spending guidance Published 4 April 2019 Last updated 27 March 2025 — See all updates Contents
Overview The Department for Education (DfE) allocates funding each year to help maintain and improve the condition of school buildings and grounds. For the 2025 to 2026 financial year, eligible schools can access funding through either:
In addition, devolved formula capital (DFC) is allocated for individual schools and other eligible institutions to spend on capital projects. Who the funding is for School condition funding includes capital allocations for:
Funding allocations for the 2025 to 2026 financial year Capital funding is based on financial years. For the provisional school condition allocation and devolved formula capital (DFC) funding amounts for the 2025 to 2026 financial year, see:
How the funding is calculated and what it can be spent on The condition funding methodology and spend guidance sets out information on eligibility and how the funding is calculated. It also provides guidance on the purpose of the funding, what it can be spent on and over what time period. The methodology has been updated for financial year 2025 to 2026. See condition funding methodology and spend guidance 2025 to 2026(PDF, 452 KB, 27 pages) for information on eligibility and how the funding was calculated for 2025 to 2026. Eligibility for SCA for the 2025 to 2026 financial year Schools are either part of bodies eligible for SCA or are eligible for CIF depending on their size and type. Local authorities, larger MATs and larger VA school bodies receive direct SCAto invest in priorities across the schools for which they are responsible. Schools in smaller academy trusts, smaller VA bodies and sixth-form colleges are instead able to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). Schools with an academy order at the start of September 2024 that we expected to convert into a CIF eligible trust by 1 April 2025 have also been invited to apply. CIF eligible schools have been invited to bid into the fund for 2025 to 2026. If a school has been invited to bid for CIF in the 2025 to 2026 financial year, their responsible body will not receive any SCA funding on their behalf. Schools invited to CIF should therefore submit a bid if they have condition investment requirements. To receive direct SCA, multi-academy trusts and VA bodies must have met both eligibility criteria:
For special and alternative-provision schools (including pupil referral units), we multiply the pupil count by 4.5 for the purposes of SCA eligibility for the 2025 to 2026 financial year. For example, we would count a MAT with 1,000 pupils in special schools as having 4,500 pupils. This reflects the fact that these schools tend to have lower pupil numbers for their size and more complex facilities. For eligibility, we count all pupils that are sole, dual-main, or dual-subsidiary enrolled. If pupils are registered at more than one institution, we divide the count by the number of institutions that the pupil is registered at. For example, pupils dual registered at a mainstream school and a pupil referral unit (PRU) would have their count divided by 2 at both institutions. For nursery schools and sixth forms, we use the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pupils, rather than headcount. We notify academy trusts and VA school bodies that are eligible for SCA each autumn. Eligibility should not be assumed unless it has been confirmed. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) DfE is providing support for schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC. This includes funding refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to permanently remove RAAC. This targeted support is in addition to any SCA or funding through CIF for the 2025 to 2026 financial year. See Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in education settings for further information on RAAC. Previous years' funding See the National Archives website for SCA and DFC allocations for previous years. The Healthy Pupils capital fund was a one-year fund for the 2018 to 2019 financial year only. In the 2018 budget, the government announced an extra £400 million of capital funding for schools in England for the 2018 to 2019 financial year. See the additional capital funding page on the National Archives for more information. In 2020, the Prime Minister announced an additional £560 million for repairs and upgrades to school buildings, on top of funding already allocated for the 2020 to 2021 financial year. In the 2022 to 2023 financial year, £500 million of additional capital funding was awarded to schools and colleges to improve buildings and facilities, prioritising energy efficiency. Good estate management We expect bodies responsible for schools to manage their school estate strategically and maintain their estate in a safe working condition. For academies, this has also been set out in the Academy Trust Handbook. Good estate management for schools (GEMS) includes guidance on developing an estates strategy and asset management plan, and a self-assessment tool to identify estate management priorities. Managing asbestos guidance for schools sets out further advice on asbestos. Responsible bodies must ensure they secure value for money through appropriate procurement routes. For large projects, the school buildings construction framework is available for use and should be considered part of project development planning. The Trust Network The Trust Network (TNN) is a group of academy trusts who are committed to good estate management, and support schools to build their capability and practice. They share best practice, exchange knowledge and, where needed, form a single voice to discuss issues or concerns with DfE and other national agencies and help improve the resources available to support schools. You can join the network for free and find out more about their events through The Trust Network website. The Trust Network is led by volunteers from a diverse range of MATs and SATs from across England and membership is open to all independently run, state-funded schools. Hundreds of academy trusts are currently registered as members. Grants to local authorities The condition funding grant determination (PDF, 233 KB, 3 pages) sets out the conditions of grant for payments to local authorities in the 2025 to 2026 financial year. The Secretary of State for Education makes grant determinations under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.
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