Updated: 12th September, 2025
Created: 10th September, 2025
Robert joined Barker in 2002 and is a Partner based in our Braintree office. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he has over 20 years’ experience of all core building surveying services and provides strategic estates advice to key accounts in the education, commercial, ecclesiastical and public sectors.
An education specialist, he provides the following services: estates and energy strategy, asset management planning, project management and capital funding applications.
Robert works closely with clients to plan and implement energy efficiency and sustainability strategies to save money, reduce carbon emissions and meet ESG objectives.
As a RICS Certified Historic Buildings Professional he provides conservation consultancy for clients with listed and historic buildings.
Robert is an experienced APC Assessor and Chairman and is also an external examiner for Anglia Ruskin University
As a Partner Robert leads the Business Development and Marketing function at Barker, builds relationships with key sector bodies and helps steer the strategic growth of the company.
Email: rgould@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648057
For academies not in large trusts, the annual Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is the most important capital funding round. It is also one of the most competitive funding streams for education and one of the most difficult to bid for.
The amount and level of detail required for CIF bid applications can be daunting for schools and colleges. Typically, only around 25% of schools received funding for their projects, so it’s crucial to ensure your bid is ticking all the right boxes.
To qualify for a CIF grant, you must tick one of the following criteria:
1. A single academy trust
2. An academy in a multi-academy trust (MAT) with fewer than 5 schools or fewer than 3,000 pupils
3. A voluntary-aided (VA) school group with fewer than 5 schools or fewer than 3,000 pupils
4. Sixth form colleges
For MATs who do not qualify for CIF, the School Condition Allocation (SCA) is available.
CIF dates are different every year, but typically they follow a similar timeline:
It is never too early to start preparing. From our experience, schools should look to prepare well in advance for a strong, evidence-based bid.
Most CIF funding is directed towards resolving health & safety and compliance non-conformities or urgent condition issues that threaten to close some or all of a school’s facilities. The most successful CIF project types are (in descending order):
1. Fire Safety
2. Heating/boiler systems
3. Roofs
4. Safeguarding
5. Compliance, i.e. Asbestos
6. Electrical safety
7. Windows
8. Water safety/compliance
1. Condition: dealing with building condition or compliance requirements.
2. Condition With Expansion: as above, but incorporating an element of increased space provision.
3. Expansion: dealing with overcrowding against Net Capacity Assessments.
To learn more about these project categories and their assessment criteria, you can read the DfE’s Condition Improvement Fund Information for Applicants.
It is never too early to start preparing. From our experience, schools should look to prepare well in advance for a strong, evidence-based bid. Assess your site to identify and prioritise your bid as soon as possible.
Register on the DfE application portal and start collecting evidence for your application. Further guidance is given below, but this could include commissioning an independent condition survey or report.
Set aside time to write your bid or select a consultant partner to assist you.
Your bid should address an issue that fits into the “highest” or “high” categories within the DfE guidance document (see What Types of Projects Does CIF cover?) Any applications outside of these categories are unlikely to be funded.
At Barker, we can discuss your known issues, independently assess your estate and help you to identify the best projects to bid for. Our experience puts us in the best position to offer tailored advice based on what we see during a site visit. We can guide you through the application process and create the best strategy.
The Condition Improvement Fund is highly competitive. Only the most urgent and well-evidenced applications will receive funding. It is critical to demonstrate the need for your project, whether it’s a condition, a condition with expansion or an expansion project. CIF is highly competitive, and thousands of other schools, colleges and academies will also be bidding for funding.
Be realistic and objective, and only bid for works that are urgent and of high priority.
For a successful CIF bid, you will also need to undertake independent surveys. Building condition surveys and energy efficiency surveys, for instance, will help you to determine which projects are most essential for your estate. A specialist survey for the specific work you are applying for can help to demonstrate the need for the funding as well as the value for money.
Alongside a well-evidenced bid, you must provide thorough technical due diligence to demonstrate the deliverability and value for money of your proposed project.
When completing an application, you need to ensure that you meet all the core requirements of the bid process. Be sure to read the applicant guidance and criteria fully, so you aren’t missing anything crucial to the success of your bid.
To tick all of the boxes of a good application, it’s essential to satisfy the assessors that your project is well-developed and low-risk. Evidence of cost planning, value for money, risk management and deliverability will enhance your bid. You should also present different options, including a “do nothing” option, to further support your need for funding. Barker’s team of surveyors and bid writers can help you prepare and submit the technical due diligence required.
If your building compliance or condition issue is so urgent that you cannot wait for the next CIF round, you may be able to apply to the DfE’s Urgent Capital Support (UCS) programme. You can apply for UCS at any point in the year if you have any condition issues that threaten either the closure of part of the school or all of it.
The DfE issues detailed guidance every year to help organisations prepare their CIF bids. It is essential that you read and understand this guidance in full before submitting your application or enlisting specialist professional support.
It’s often beneficial to enlist the help of experienced bid writers, like the Barker team, to help you ensure you have everything you need for your funding application.
At Barker, we can put together the applications for CIF bids for you, so you can concentrate on other important tasks. We will provide your application with the attention it needs to ensure it follows the guidelines set out by the DfE and that nothing important is being overlooked.
Our experience and vision have shaped over 300 projects across sectors, from energy and funding to architecture and design, helping bring ideas to life.
