The government has finally published guidance on a previously secretive capital fund for academy trusts that has shelled out tens of millions. Schools Week revealed last year that almost 拢200 million has been distributed through the Strategic school improvement capital budget (SSICB) since 2016, but there was no published guidance explaining what it is or who can access the money. Following calls for transparency published in this newspaper, the Department for Education has The document is for 鈥減otential incoming responsible bodies that may need capital funding to support a school joining a strong trust through the sponsorship funding route鈥. 鈥淲hen responsible bodies acquire a new school, they gain a valuable asset and an increase in their school condition allocation,鈥 the guidance states. 鈥淭he DfE expects incoming responsible bodies, over time, to meet any capital needs of the school through the use of their school condition allocation.鈥 ‘Don’t assume we’ll fund works’ According to the guidance, responsible bodies 鈥渟hould not assume that DfE will fund capital works for schools changing responsible bodies. The 8 funding streams for new trusts or those looking to grow鈥 鈥淗owever, DfE is aware that there are cases where the capital needs of a school are so significant and essential, and the cost of them so high, as to form a barrier to a successful move to a new responsible body. 鈥淚n such cases, we will consider applications from responsible bodies to help fund some of these works through the SSICB.鈥 In terms of eligibility, the DfE said it was 鈥渉appy to discuss individual cases with the relevant responsible bodies鈥. But it added that funding 鈥渕ay be available for responsible bodies taking on full sponsorship, intermediate sponsorship, or fast-track academy projects (or in cases of academy transfers subject to intervention)鈥. The fund 鈥渃an only be used to address very urgent and critical needs that have a significant cost attached鈥, and the DfE expects 鈥渁ny low-cost work to be funded by the incoming responsible body as a matter of routine鈥. Reserves will be factored-in For more significant work, the DfE said it would give 鈥渄ue consideration to the incoming responsible body鈥檚 financial reserves鈥 and would 鈥渘ot normally fund works if the responsible body has means to fund them itself鈥. The DfE 鈥渨ill make a preliminary assessment of the necessary works, to set the parameters for discussions with potential incoming responsible bodies. The assessment 鈥渨ill often set a maximum figure for any potential SSICB application. It may also conclude, in some cases, that any necessary works are not significant enough to attract SSICB at all鈥. According to the guidance, the DfE 鈥渁pplies a high bar when assessing whether proposed works are genuinely urgent and critical, and a particularly a high bar when assessing issues around suitability鈥. It will consider funding repairs and upgrades to school buildings that don鈥檛 increase their gross internal area, ICT infrastructure, relocation or mothballing under-used facilities. It will also consider enhancements to make facilities appropriate for teaching and learning or to make buildings safe, such as fencing or asbestos removal. Trusts must meet legal duties But the DfE 鈥渨ill expect the outgoing responsible body to have met its legal duties with regard to safety and safeguarding. We will seek a contribution from the outgoing responsible body if they have not done so.鈥 The government must approve the funding in principle before an academy is transferred, and 鈥渞etrospective applications are not accepted鈥. Under a section marked 鈥渁pplications鈥, the DfE tells trusts to 鈥渃ontact their regions group delivery officer directly鈥.