Nominate a school for the school rebuilding programme

Question 1

What the programme covers

Accepted Answer

This rebuilding programme is for schools with buildings in very poor condition which need to be refurbished or replaced. These buildings will be referred to as blocks, as they are in the Condition Data Collection (CDC) report. One school building can consist of more than one block. For example, if a building was extended after originally being built, those separate parts will be categorised as separate blocks, because their age, construction type and condition could differ.

There are a very limited number of places on the programme and priority will be given to schools with the most severe condition need. If you choose to nominate a school, you will be asked on the portal to identify blocks for consideration.

Nominating a school does not guarantee it will be included in the programme. In 2022, we intend to select schools for the majority of the remaining places in the programme, reserving some places for the future. We plan to confirm the schools that have been selected for the next round of the programme later this year.

We reserve the flexibility to include schools in the programme for a small number of cases where the severe and urgent need for rebuilding is identified outside the processes set out in this guidance.

Question 2

How to nominate a school

Accepted Answer

There are 2 ways to nominate a school for the programme.

1. Block nomination

Responsible bodies should nominate the school(s) they would like to be considered through an online portal, listing the blocks they consider need rebuilding.

We will then assess this nomination against the first CDC1 data.

There must be a minimum threshold of 1200m² of severe condition need. The Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) can comprise of several blocks within the school, or one single block meeting the total.

2. Exceptional cases

Exceptional cases include where:

you deem the condition of the blocks to be so severe as to risk imminent closure (or a block is already closed)
the issues have not been captured by CDC1 (such as structural issues)
the issues can only be resolved through a rebuild

In these cases, you can submit professional evidence to support that the school blocks are likely to be forced to close within the next 3 years, or have already been forced out of use. You must only submit a school for consideration if you are able to meet the acceptable evidence criteria defined in this guidance.

You must provide professional evidence from within the last 3 years to demonstrate the severity of need. This evidence is submitted through the online portal.

There is no minimum GIFA requirement for severe condition needs that are nominated in this way.

Process for selection

The process for selection in 2022 allows responsible bodies to submit a nomination for schools that meet the definition of rebuilding need.

The information provided through the online portal must be submitted by the responsible body rather than individual schools. If you are a school that would like to be considered, we recommend that you talk to your responsible body about which schools are being considered for nomination.

We will review available information, including pupil capacity, before confirming provisional successful schools. If a school that you nominate is successful in entering the programme, the timescale to deliver the project will be confirmed with you. You will need to make provisions for estate maintenance, making sure the blocks remain safe until the completion of the building project.

If your nomination is successful, feasibility studies will be undertaken to determine the blocks in the scope of the project. This is based on their assessed condition need. It is not guaranteed that every block you nominate will be included.

Question 3

Timelines

Accepted Answer

Block nominations

You have 4 weeks to nominate schools for the programme. The portal will close for nominations on 3 March 2022. No support will be available for registration or technical queries relating to block nominations past 5pm on 3 March 2022.

Exceptional cases

You must register on the portal and nominate your blocks by 3 March 2022.

You will have an additional 4 weeks to submit supplementary evidence for exceptional cases where the need is severe enough to require the block to close imminently and can only be resolved through a rebuild.

The portal will close for supplementary evidence submissions on 31 March 2022. No support will be available for technical queries relating to uploading professional evidence past 5pm on 31 March 2022.

Schools that are not nominated through the portal by the deadline will not be considered for prioritisation in this round of programme selection. It is your responsibility to ensure that any information saved on the online portal is submitted by the deadline.

You should check that you have received the ‘nomination submitted’ notification or contact us at school.rebuilding@education.gov.uk before the deadline if there appears to be a problem.

We will be considering any nominations and supplementary evidence and may contact you for additional information or to arrange a site visit. Most responsible bodies that submit valid supplementary evidence will receive a site visit to verify the urgency of the severe condition of the school or block. This visit does not guarantee that the school or blocks will be included in the programme.

Question 4

Qualifying criteria

Accepted Answer

Schools nominated for consideration in the programme must meet the definition of rebuilding need.

Definition of rebuilding need

This is in priority order.

Structural or safety issues that mean a block is not fit for use or is likely to become unfit for use imminently because it poses a risk to users.
Severe deterioration in the main building fabric (external walls, roofs, windows or doors). This means that the most efficient way of returning a block to good condition is to rebuild it or carry out a significant refurbishment.
Mechanical and electrical systems that are close to failure and could cause a school block to close in the near future, but only if there is another need in the building fabric that makes a refurbishment or rebuild most efficient overall.

If you do not meet this definition of rebuilding need, see school capital funding for guidance on funding.

Size of project

We want to select sizeable projects that meet the definition of rebuilding need to ensure the best investment for the limited number of places in the programme.

For block nominations, there must be a minimum threshold of 1200m² of severe condition need. The GIFA can comprise of several blocks within the school, or one single block meeting the total. This is to allow a fair and equal comparison to be made between schools. Schools with a total GIFA smaller than the threshold will be considered based on the condition of their whole site, as in the first 2 rounds of the programme. A site is defined as an area maintained by the school that is not divided by a public thoroughfare (for example, a road).

In cases where the whole school is smaller than the GIFA threshold, responsible bodies should therefore enter all the school’s blocks into the portal for consideration.

For exceptional cases, with professional evidence of severe condition need, there is no minimum threshold. This is to ensure that we capture all structural projects where the need is both intense and significant enough that the ongoing safe operation of the school is at risk. We anticipate that projects significantly below 1200m² are unlikely to meet this level of need.

All blocks that are nominated for consideration must currently be in use by the school unless already forced out of use due to their condition and required to deliver the curriculum.

Deciding which blocks to nominate

We are expecting to receive a significant number of nominations for the next round of the school rebuilding programme. Schools will only be selected if they demonstrate severe need where the block has been forced to close or risks imminent closure which can only be resolved through a rebuild.

When deciding which block(s) to nominate through the selection process, you may wish to consider the building age and construction type, as well as other factors that would deem a block to require rebuilding rather than localised remediation or maintenance.

We have provided examples of such factors but this is not an exhaustive list. Nominations will be considered where a report by a qualified building professional clearly demonstrates another issue that could result in imminent closure which could only be resolved through rebuilding.

Post-war system builds

Following World War 2 there was a rapid expansion of the school estate to accommodate an increased school-age population. Due to budget constraints and material shortages, several new construction techniques were developed. These new designs were brought to market by a number of manufacturers and are commonly referred to as ‘post-war system builds’.

There are many types of post-war system builds typically with steel, timber or concrete load-bearing structural frames. This is not an exhaustive list but common examples include:

Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme (CLASP)
Second Consortium of Local Authorities (SCOLA)
South Easters Architects Collaboration (SEAC)
Intergrid
Laingspan
Derwent

Previously we have prioritised Laingspan and Intergrid blocks for replacement. Based on our records, we believe all these building types were included in previous school rebuilding programme rounds. Should you believe you have a block constructed using Laingspan or Intergrid this should be clearly identified in the professional evidence submitted.

The condition of post-war system builds varies greatly and is affected by factors including age, construction type and maintenance history. Where post-war system build blocks are nominated by responsible bodies, evidence should clearly demonstrate that the block’s condition indicates that localised repairs are impractical or cost and time prohibitive.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)

RAAC is a lightweight, ‘bubbly’ form of concrete that was commonly used in schools and other buildings from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. RAAC is mainly found in roofs, although occasionally in floors and walls. RAAC is less strong than traditional concrete and there have been instances where RAAC components have failed.

We would welcome nominations for blocks containing RAAC planks in poor condition as identified by a structural survey. It is worth noting that in some cases it may be possible to remediate RAAC planks without full school rebuilding.

Evidence submitted for any blocks containing RAAC should clearly demonstrate how the presence of RAAC may result in imminent closure and that localised replacement is not viable.

Condition of structural elements

Structural elements, for example beams, columns and load-bearing walls, in poor condition may have reduced capacity to transfer loads from the superstructure to the block’s foundations. In extreme cases, this may lead to concerns about block safety.

Deterioration of structural elements can be caused by several factors including:

material deterioration with age, for example, concrete cancer
exposure to external elements, for example, where weatherproofing has been poorly maintained or failed
damage by ground movement

In many cases, repairs can be made to elements that have deteriorated or corroded or they can be locally replaced. If corrosion is advanced or materials are clearly deteriorating with time, rebuilding may be required.

Evidence should clearly demonstrate that the severity and extent of deterioration make localised repairs impractical or cost and time prohibitive. The evidence should also indicate whether the overall structural condition and stability of the building are worsening as a result of the issue.

External walls and cladding

Issues affecting external walls and cladding will be considered where they present a building safety issue or are part of the load-bearing structure of the block. Non-structural items (for example, window replacement) will generally not be considered unless in conjunction with other structural issues.

In particular, evidence should highlight if the external cladding is thought to contribute to the horizontal stability of a block in steel, concrete or timber-framed construction.

Internal non-structural partitions, ceilings and finishes

In general, issues affecting non-structural finishes, ceilings and partitions will not be considered for inclusion in the school rebuilding programme. It is expected that issues affecting non-structural elements (for example, ceilings or internal partitions) should be dealt with through alternative funding routes as they could be repaired locally and would not warrant full rebuilding.

If, in the opinion of a qualified building professional, issues affecting non-structural items present a building safety issue, this should be clearly evidenced. The evidence will need to demonstrate how the issue cannot be addressed by other means.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral, which was incorporated into a wide variety of materials used in the UK up to the year 2000. It is extremely important that any asbestos present in your school or college is located and managed effectively. Failure to comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 is a criminal offence. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigates incidents where duty holders fail to manage the risks and takes enforcement action where appropriate.

If managed actively and safely, the presence of asbestos in your school or college should not pose a risk to occupants. Poor management of asbestos can pose serious health risks.

Undamaged, sealed materials will not release fibres. If materials containing asbestos are disturbed or damaged, asbestos fibres can be released into the air and breathed in by building occupants. This is more likely to happen as asbestos materials age and deteriorate. For more information, see the guidance on managing asbestos in your school or college.

We will consider asbestos cases for inclusion in the school rebuilding programme where asbestos:

has been the direct cause or an associated cause of block (or part-block) closure in the recent past, for example, asbestos has been exposed by accident, or is contained in areas that are also deteriorated so there is a risk of exposure, causing a block or rooms to be taken out of use
condition means that the block (or part-block) is at an imminent or urgent risk of being taken out of use without remedial action
prevents routine maintenance or statutory compliance works (for example, fire alarm testing, legionella testing, emergency lighting) being carried out, or asbestos is easily disturbed during normal occupancy resulting in damage
condition has deteriorated such that it cannot be repaired and requires removal so that a rebuild or refurbishment is the best solution to resolve the issue

Fire risk

Building work at all schools must comply with building regulations enforced by local building-control bodies. Building Regulations Part B cover fire safety.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, schools are required to undertake risk assessments to identify the general fire precautions needed to safeguard the safety of occupants in case of fire, including their safe means of escape. Guidance for schools on doing a fire safety risk assessment is available.

We will consider cases for inclusion for the school rebuilding programme where the evidence shows that fire risk could result in imminent or urgent closure of a school block.

Flood risk

We will consider cases for inclusion in the school rebuilding programme where a flood risk assessment is provided that identifies a significant risk to the school resulting in closure or a potential risk to life.

Ground conditions

Ground movements and subsidence are likely to result in cracking to structural elements and finishes or decoration. Where a qualified building professional identifies structural issues resulting from ground movement, evidence should demonstrate the issues are widespread enough to warrant rebuilding as opposed to localised remediation.

Where a qualified professional report states that ground contamination is affecting the building structure or is harmful to students, evidence should indicate how rebuilding will address the issues raised.

Temporary buildings

Temporary buildings, for example, relocatable mobiles and modular buildings, are often much smaller in size than permanent school buildings. It is unlikely that temporary buildings alone will be 1200m² in size.

We will consider blocks of this type, which are required to deliver the curriculum and are in poor condition, alongside other school blocks with severe condition need.

Question 5

Making a nomination

Accepted Answer

Responsible bodies must use the online portal to nominate a school or schools for consideration in the next round of the school rebuilding programme.

System requirements

Use the latest version of Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome internet browser to access the portal.

Do not use Microsoft Internet Explorer as the portal will not function correctly with this browser.

Who completes the portal information

The portal must be completed by the responsible body.

It is the responsibility of the lead of the responsible body to ensure that an appropriate representative completes the portal.

The freeholder of the land, if different from the responsible body, headteacher and governing body of the school should be made aware of the nomination of the school and agree to this before the information is submitted through the portal.

In instances where there is more than one responsible body, for example with voluntary aided schools where either the diocese or the governing body could be the responsible body, a decision must be made as to who will enter information on the portal.

Only one responsible body may submit a nomination for a school.

Registration and verification

If you have an existing capital portal account, for example, for the capital spend survey, you can use your username and password to enter the portal.

If you are a new user, you can register by accessing the online portal.

You will be asked to enter your name, email address and job title. These will undergo verification and once verified you will receive an email with your log-in details. Verification can take up to 24 hours, if you do not receive a response in that time, you can email school.rebuilding@education.gov.uk for support.

Multiple members of the same responsible body can register to use the portal, however, only one nomination can be created for each school.

You will be asked to provide additional information to identify your responsible body. If you are a:

local authority, you will need your local authority establishment number
multi-academy trust, or a single academy trust, you will need your Companies House number - you should delete the first 0 before entering the number
diocese, you will need to identify which diocese you are representing
governor, or representing a school, you will need the school’s unique reference number (URN)

Check the ‘confirm’ button if the details are correct and complete the requested information on the ‘Register’ screen.

If all details are correct click the ‘submit’ button. You will then receive an email confirming that your registration is complete.

If your details are incorrect, follow the instructions on the screen to correct them.

Nominating a school or schools

On the opening screen, select the school that you are nominating from the list, or by using the search bar.

As you work through the questions, the details of the nominated school will remain visible on the right-hand side of your screen.

Repeat the following steps for each nominated school.

Once you have selected a school, you will be presented with a set of questions to answer and information to confirm.

Check before you start

You will be asked to confirm details about the school. This is the information we hold and is available on get information about schools (GIAS).

If any of the details are incorrect, correct the information on GIAS through the usual process. You can find support with this on the GIAS help page.

If you have found some of the details to be incorrect, you are still able to progress with the nomination. Select ‘no’ as your response at the bottom of the page and you will be able to continue with the online forms.

Amendments made through GIAS will be visible on the school rebuilding programme portal the following day.

You will be asked to confirm your understanding of the process, and whether you would like to nominate the school for the school rebuilding programme.

Submit school information

School buildings

You are required to tell us about any blocks at the school that are in poor condition which can only be resolved through a rebuild.

Identify the blocks in the school that you would like to nominate for the programme. You will need to refer to the CDC1 report and site plan to select the correct block codes. Both the CDC1 report and the site plan will be available via links on the right-hand side of the page. If you do not have a CDC1 report, or it is not displayed, email school.rebuilding@education.gov.uk.

We are using CDC1 reports as this is a consistent data set across the school estate. Some schools will have CDC2 reports, however, this is not yet the case for all schools.

Check the building age, GIFA and the construction type that relates to the chosen block(s). If you do not agree with these, you have the opportunity to amend them.

For block nominations, once you have selected all the blocks you wish to nominate, check that you have reached the minimum threshold of 1200m². If the school’s total GIFA is less than 1200m², select all blocks at the school and they will be considered based on the condition of the whole site.

For exceptional cases, check that you have selected all blocks that you wish to be considered.

Once the information has been confirmed, continue to the next section.

School site

Tell us about any other capital works across the site that have taken place since your school was visited for CDC1, or any projects that are planned. This includes any pending funding nominations.

Use the text box to describe briefly any previous or proposed funding works, including status, timescales and estimated value.

Confirmation of building information

At this stage, you will be asked to confirm whether you are ready to submit or whether you would like to provide professional evidence of an issue that is not captured in CDC1.

If your school doesn’t meet the criteria to submit supplementary evidence, then it will be considered against CDC1. Select the first option where you will be able to submit your nomination.

If you are nominating a school for consideration as an exceptional case where the need is severe enough to require the school to close imminently and can only be resolved through a rebuild, select the second option where you can add the evidence of critical need.

You will need to meet the following criteria to qualify to submit supplementary professional evidence:

severe need as per the definition of rebuilding need that will require the block to be taken out of use imminently and which can only be resolved through a rebuild
professional evidence from within the last 3 years demonstrating the severity of need - only provide evidence that is in line with our definition of professional evidence

You must confirm that you have read the guidance and meet the criteria before you can proceed to submit your nomination.

Evidence of critical need

Responsible body statement

For each school that you nominate, which meets our definition of rebuilding need, you will be asked to provide further detail about the issue. For example, whether the issue is structural, asbestos-related or another type of severe condition that could result in the closure of the school or block.

You will also be asked to provide a statement outlining the issue, which should include justification of the criteria outlined and how you have managed the issue to date. Include details of any urgent condition issues and the blocks that are impacted.

This should include a succinct description of:

what the severe condition need is
the extent of the condition need
how much of the block is affected by it

You should also provide an explanation of why that creates a risk of imminent closure and what action has already been taken to make the block safe. If the block has already been taken out of use because of the severe condition need, say so but if it is out of use for another reason that should also be stated.

Use the text box to provide block-specific details of condition need, using the CDC1 block references. Limit your response to 300 words. The portal will cut out any words that go over this limit.

Professional evidence

You will only be required to provide evidence if you have stated that your school has a severe condition need risking imminent closure which has not been captured by CDC1 and can only be resolved through a rebuild.

Reports submitted as evidence of severe need should be authored by a suitably qualified building professional. This means an individual who is a registered or chartered member of an appropriate professional body, for example, the:

Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

Their qualification must be relevant to the issues being discussed.

The reports must contain a clear assessment of the condition need and extent of any issues.

Nominations relating to structural need must be supported by evidence from a chartered structural engineer. They should contain photos that clearly show the extent of the issue for consideration in the wider block, for example, an elevational shot highlighting where the issue is present.

If available, a floor plan and aerial view image for each block would also be helpful. Any surveys should have been completed within the last 3 years.

Photographic evidence of the condition need supporting the professional evidence helps assessors understand the issues, but they must show the full extent of the condition, not just localised issues.

Assessment factor	Examples of acceptable evidence
Structural	Structural survey by a chartered structural engineer
	Condition survey by a chartered building surveyor
	Photographic evidence to support professional evidence
Asbestos	Asbestos management plans – these should be RAG rated and should focus on the high graded issues
	All forms of asbestos surveys – management surveys of refurbishment and demolition surveys
	Evidence could be linked to health and safety reports
	Photographic evidence to support professional evidence
Fire safety	Specialist survey to support issue identified
	Condition surveys
	Reports from fire service
	Fire risk assessment
	Evidence of limited occupancy due to fire escape restrictions (for example)
	Photographic evidence to support professional evidence
Flood risk (river, sea, surface water, groundwater) or water ingress	Specialist flood risk assessment or survey to support issue identified. This must follow the guidance on preparing a flood risk assessment. It must include a site overview, local hazard assessment. flood vulnerability considerations. loss assessment and risk mitigation.
	Condition surveys – asset management condition surveys
	Evidence of multiple historic occurrences with no feasible options identified in flood risk assessment to prevent future occurrences
	Photographic evidence to support professional evidence
Additional causes of severe issues (must result in the potential closure of the building and require a rebuild)	Mechanical and electrical failure – potentially linking to asbestos issues and limitations to routine maintenance and compliance work.
	Photographic evidence to support professional evidence

We retain the right to reject low quality or outdated evidence. This includes:

blurred photos
evidence that is not clearly labelled
reports that do not make recommendations or draw clear conclusions
reports that only recommend further investigative works be carried out
reports that do not clearly demonstrate the severity and extent of the relevant issues
historic evidence with no supporting risk assessment identifying future risk

Label this evidence with the CDC1 block reference and an appropriate file name to explain the reason for its inclusion.

The file limit is 5MB, convert files to pdf format where possible. The following file types can be accepted by the portal.

Extension	Document type
.doc	Microsoft Word
.docx	Microsoft Word (OpenXML)
.jpeg and .jpg	JPEG images
.ods	OpenDocument spreadsheet document
.pdf	Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
.ppt	Microsoft PowerPoint
.pptx	Microsoft PowerPoint (OpenXML)
.xls and .csv	Microsoft Excel and comma separated
.xlsx	Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)
.xlsm	Excel macro-enabled workbook (code)

Question 6

Submit your nomination

Accepted Answer

Make sure you:

include an e-mail address for the lead contact for correspondence
check the contact details held on the portal are correct
provide an email address for the lead individual of the responsible body for verification purposes

Before submitting, you must confirm that:

the information that you have entered is correct to the best of your knowledge
you have the permission of the responsible body
you have made the headteacher and governing body of the school aware

You will not be able to submit your nomination until you have completed these declarations and agreed to the terms and conditions.

The lead individual of the responsible body will then receive an email to make them aware of this application to the school rebuilding programme.

After you’ve submitted your nomination

Once information is submitted the status of the nomination will read ‘under consideration’ on the portal landing page.

The school rebuilding programme team will then review the information you have provided.

You may be contacted to arrange a site visit. This does not guarantee that the school or blocks will be included in the programme.

Question 7

Applications with Condition Improvement Funding

Accepted Answer

If you have already applied for the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for a block that you are nominating for inclusion in the school rebuilding programme, we will take into account the outcome of the CIF application process when reviewing the school rebuilding programme nomination.

If your school is prioritised for the school rebuilding programme, additional scrutiny of the CIF projects will be needed to ensure that it provides the best value in light of the planned school rebuilding works. At that point, we will discuss with you how the CIF works overlap with those planned under the school rebuilding programme and the urgency of the condition issue that would be addressed using CIF funding.

Question 8

Estate management

Accepted Answer

Safe, well-maintained school buildings are vital to support schools and teachers in delivering a high-quality education, so that pupils gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need.

Responsible bodies are primarily responsible for the condition of the estate. They decide how and where the funding is spent, in line with the conditions of each funding stream.

You should continue to effectively manage the school estate, ensuring that buildings remain safe to use at all times. This includes during the nomination period for the school rebuilding programme and if the school is selected onto the programme.

We publish several resources to support responsible bodies in carrying out their role and meeting their legal duties. These include:

Question 9

Get help

Accepted Answer

If you need any help with the online portal or the process for nominating schools, email school.rebuilding@education.gov.uk. You must ensure that you have read the guidance before contacting us as we are only able to answer queries that are not covered here. You should expect a response within 2 working days.

If there are any immediate health and safety concerns that risk imminent school closure, and the responsible body is unable to address these independently, it is vitally important that you contact us immediately to get advisory support. In the first instance, email Complex.PROJECTS@education.gov.uk.

For any other enquiries relating to the school rebuilding programme, contact the Department for Education (DfE).

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