We are delighted to announce our recent success in achieving funding for thirty five out of forty SCA applications on behalf of schools throughout the Salisbury Diocese. This represents a success rate of eighty five percent, and of which we are extremely proud.
SCA or School Allocation Funding is a funding stream offered by the government’s Department of Education, to help Diocese schools maintain and improve the condition of their school buildings and grounds. The funds are used to invest in projects that will directly improve both compliance and safety in these schools. The resulting projects translate into tangible improvements for the schools, their pupils, and their staff.
Projects may be small or large, but are always important to the day-to-day running of the schools. In practical terms, projects include works related to safeguarding and the installation of perimeter fencing, toilet refurbishment, roofing work, replacement lighting, replacement windows and doors, replacement heating, and asbestos removal – all aimed at contributing to a safer learning environment for all.
Barbed wire boundary at a Primary School
In the latest round of funding, we have secured money to pay for a variety of safety and compliance projects, which include:
Six projects involving fencing and safeguarding
Six toilet refurbishments
Three projects related to the replacement of lighting
Two projects involving heating replacement
Three roofing projects
We have also been successful in obtaining multiple bids for many schools, with one school achieving four successful SCA bids. This resulted in money to invest in new heating, toilets, doors, windows, and lighting. This is potentially transformative and means that, once all the works are completed, it will feel like a new school.
So, projects may not be glamorous, but they are certainly essential. In the case of Zeals Primary School, the school had been suffering with their outdated oil-fired boiler for a number of years. Using SCA funding, we arranged for the urgent replacement of the existing boiler during the Easter holiday period. The works were carried out by local, specialist plumbing and heating engineers, Bennett & Dean.
The school are delighted with their new boiler. Not only are they now nice and warm, but they also have hot water – essential during the recent unseasonably cold weather…
New boiler at Zeals Primary School
If you are interested to find out how we can help your school with SCA funding, please do get in touch.