Hi Karen

if you email me we can arrange a time to speak on the phone: janecarter@warwickshire.gov.uk

I hope it’s ok if I add some info, in case people are reading this later.

In the large county I worked, the funding pot had shrunk, but the Strategic Planning team scraped the bottom of many barrels to fund projects as required in Local Authority schools.

Academies have to access their own funding streams.

Voluntary Aided schools can approach the diocese for funding (which comes as a sort of loan).

Strategic Planning have architects they use, but they don’t support other schools. Academies and VA schools have to employ their own architects. I had a couple of experiences of looking at plans for VA schools and finding errors, such as the toilet placed near the wall when a pupil needed an adult helper each side, and mentioning this to the head teacher!

Some of this may vary in other counties.

In Essex we have a limited budget to be able to fund building adaptations where needed.  We identify the need and I sit on a panel which decides which projects will go ahead.  We expect schools to fund works below a certain threshold (£500 I think!).  We like this system as it ensures schools are using advice from OTs and specialist teachers as well as approved surveyors and builders etc.