Schools are competing against each other for money to fix fire safety faults
What happened
On 14 September 2026, Tes published an investigation reporting that hundreds of schools have been denied money for fire safety repairs. Its finding was that schools are "pitted against one another" to secure funding for building repairs. To understand why, you need to know how school building repairs are actually paid for in England. Most academies and sixth-form colleges that need capital work apply to something called the Condition Improvement Fund, usually shortened to CIF. It is a competitive fund. Schools submit bids describing the work they need doing, and the Department for Education decides which ones to pay for. Those that lose apply again the following year. The numbers from the most recent round show how tight that competition is. Tes reported in May 2026 that 2,523 projects were submitted for the 2026-27 round, and 813 were approved, at 684 eligible institutions. That is a success rate of 32.2 per cent, so roughly seven in ten bids failed. The total fund was £450 million, down from £470 million the year before, though the success rate itself had improved from 27.7 per cent in 2025-26. Success also varied by region. London had the highest rate at 46.45 per cent. The North East had the lowest at 25 per cent. Fire safety and compliance work did feature strongly among the projects that were approved, with 29 approvals specifically for urgent fire safety work. But approvals are only half the picture, and the September investigation concerns the schools whose fire safety bids were turned down. Julia Harnden, Deputy Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, has described schools as being in an "incredibly frustrating position" when bids fail, saying that "capital spending is simply not going far enough or fast enough".
Why this matters
Most parents assume that if a school building has a fire safety problem, somebody fixes it. The reality is that the school has to apply, argue its case, and then find out whether it beat other schools doing the same thing. That is an odd way to handle safety work, and it is the part of this story that tends to surprise people most. It matters for a second reason too. A school that loses a bid does not stop needing the work. It waits a year and tries again, often with the problem worse and the cost higher. Meanwhile, money that could have gone on teaching or support staff sometimes gets diverted to patch up the building. There is a fairness question buried in the regional figures as well. A competitive bidding system rewards schools with the staff time and expertise to write a strong bid. Larger academy trusts often have estates teams who do this professionally. A small standalone school may not, and it is competing against them. It is only fair to note the other side. A fund has to be allocated somehow, and competitive bidding is one of the few ways to compare very different projects across thousands of schools. The Department for Education did approve 813 projects and improved the success rate year on year. The criticism is not that officials are ignoring the problem. It is that the pot is smaller than the need.
What the evidence actually says
It helps to separate what is firmly documented from what is still being reported. The CIF figures are official and checkable: 2,523 bids, 813 approved, 32.2 per cent success, £450 million, with regional variation from 25 per cent in the North East to 46.45 per cent in London. Those come from the Department for Education's own 2026-27 round as reported in May 2026. The September investigation adds the specific claim that hundreds of schools were refused funding for fire safety repairs, and that the system pits schools against each other. That is journalism based on the outcome data, and it is a reasonable reading of a fund that turns down about seven bids in ten. What none of this shows is that any particular school is unsafe. This is important, and it is easy to blur. A rejected CIF bid does not mean a fire risk has been ignored. Schools have separate legal duties under fire safety law. They must have a fire risk assessment, act on it, and keep escape routes, alarms and drills in order. Those duties do not depend on winning a grant, and enforcement sits with the fire and rescue authority, not the Department for Education. What a rejected bid usually means is that a larger capital improvement, such as replacing a compartment wall, upgrading an alarm system across a site, or renewing wiring, has been postponed. Schools then manage the risk in cheaper ways in the meantime, which may be entirely adequate but is not a fix. The honest summary is: this is a funding story, not a safety scandal. It is a real problem, but the thing that has failed is the money, not necessarily the safety management.
Practical advice
**If you are a parent and you are worried, ask calmly and specifically.** Schools are used to this question. A sensible one is: "Does the school have a current fire risk assessment, and are the actions from it up to date?" That is a much more useful question than asking about funding bids. **Look at the governing body's papers.** Academy trusts and maintained schools publish board or governing body minutes, which often discuss building condition and capital bids. They are usually on the school website and are more informative than people expect. **Remember what actually keeps children safe day to day.** Working alarms, clear escape routes, regular drills and staff who know the procedure matter more than any single building project. Schools practise evacuation regularly, and most children could do it in their sleep. **If you are a school leader, use the appeal route.** Tes has previously reported that schools have won CIF appeals for projects including urgent fire safety work, roof replacement and heating repairs. An unsuccessful bid is not always the end of it. **If you want to make a difference, governors matter.** School governor and academy trustee roles are unpaid, open to ordinary members of the public, and genuinely short-staffed in many areas. Governors are the people who see the building condition reports and press for action. Anyone with finance, construction, health and safety or project experience is particularly useful, and no teaching background is required.
What to know
Schools in England that need building repairs, including fire safety work, generally have to compete for money from the Condition Improvement Fund. In the 2026-27 round, 813 of 2,523 bids succeeded, a rate of 32.2 per cent, sharing £450 million. Success rates ranged from 25 per cent in the North East to 46.45 per cent in London. A Tes investigation published on 14 September 2026 reported that hundreds of schools were denied cash for fire safety repairs and that schools are set against one another in the process. This is about capital funding, not about schools ignoring fire safety. Legal duties on fire risk assessments, alarms, escape routes and drills apply regardless of whether a bid succeeds. If you want reassurance about your own child's school, ask about the fire risk assessment and whether its actions are complete. That is the document that matters. Sources: Tes, "Hundreds of schools denied cash for fire safety repairs", 14 September 2026, https://www.tes.com/magazine/news ; Tes, "Schools' CIF odds improve slightly - but most projects miss out", 22 May 2026, https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/schools-cif-odds-improve-slightly-most-projects-miss-out ; GOV.UK, "Condition Improvement Fund", https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/condition-improvement-fund This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. For concerns about fire safety at a specific school, contact the school or your local fire and rescue authority.
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