Children Services

Wat Tyler West

Swindon, SN1 2JH

Tel: 01793 445500

/ Please ask for: / HelenHaines
To: Headteachers, Business Managers at all Maintained Swindon Schools
Direct Dial No: / 01793 463269
Email: /
Our Ref: / Schools Condition Capital Programme
Date: / 02 October 2018

Dear Headteacher / Business Managers

Subject: SchoolsCapital Programme 2014/17

Over the next few weeks all Council departments have been asked to prepare draft proposals for the capital programme covering the period 2014/17, this provides the opportunity to seek to secure funding for essential condition works in maintained schools.

As part of the public sector austerity programme both LA and schools capital funding has been cut significantly and increases to current funding levels are highly unlikely for the foreseeable future. The purpose of this letter is to invite bids from schools for essential capital works required during this period although it will be necessary to very carefully prioritise all proposed schemes.

Since 2011 the LA has only been able to fund urgent works on a reactive basis which is difficult to plan and does not always achieve best value for money. Whilst some contingency funding will always be required we are aiming to introduce a more proactive/planned approach for the next 3 years.

Responsibility for the day to day management of the school site is devolved to schools who are responsible for maintaining and repairing school premises from the delegated budget using appropriate asset management plans as required by the Schools Financial Value Standard. Where significant capital investment is required assistance should always be sought from the local authority.

To assist schools in meeting their asset management responsibilities the LA offers a traded service which, in addition to providing guidance and advice, includes the completion of periodic condition surveys. As well as providing information on maintenance requirements these surveys should also identify and prioritise any health and safety works that would require capital funding.

For those schools who buy into the LA traded service the last condition surveys should provide all the necessary information on which to formulate bids. For schools who fulfil their asset management requirements in other ways please specify on the attached proforma the source of any proposals which may need to be verified by the LA. Bids need to cover all premises used by the school including school run nurseries, children’s centres, former caretakers’ properties etc.

As it is inevitable that demands will exceed available resources schools are asked whether they are willing to joint fund any works by using either devolved formula capital or revenue balances. The LA would be able to advance loans so that schools could spread their contributions over 5 to 10 years. Any such joint funding arrangements will enable the LA to undertake more schemes over the next 3 years.

Please submit the attached proforma electronically to the by 27th September, in the interim if you have any queriesplease contact Helen Haines on 463269.or

This initial stage in the capital planning process is to capture information on the scale of essential capital spending that will be required across maintained schools over the next 3 years. Further works will be required to prioritise schemes and to firm up costings, possibly using a sub-group of the Schools Forum, I will write to you to explain this in due course.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask those schools which do not buy into the LA’s asset management traded service to let me know why this is not viewed as representing good value for money.

Yours sincerely

Steve Haley

Head of Finance – Education and Innovation

Children and young people deserve the best start in life

John Gilbert

Group Director, Children