The Department for Education is being urged to clarify how much funding remains for trust capacity, given that nearly all of the original £86 million pot has already been allocated.
The DfE has not been able to confirm how much money is left in the Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF), leaving leaders worried that they are wasting their time on bids.
The fears come after Tes revealed earlier this month that academy trusts that bid for the latest funding window had not received a decision. This is despite the grants being listed in the guidance as starting on 1 August.
TCaF, a pot of money to help trusts increase their capacity as they grow, was introduced by the former government, with £86 million allocated for 2022 to 2025.
In April, the DfE confirmed to Tes that it had committed “up to £86 million” up to 2025 for TCaF. There has been no indication this has since been increased.
However, Tes analysis of freedom of information data has previously found allocations since 2022 already total nearly £82 million.
What TCaF funding is left?
This would leave barely more than £4 million in the pot for the trusts that applied to the fourth and final window of TCaF 2023-25 and are still waiting to hear back.
When approached by Tes, the DfE did not confirm how much money is left for trusts waiting on a decision for window four of TCaF.
Warren Carratt, CEO of Nexus MAT, said: “It feels counter to a needs-led process if almost all the money has been used, and leaves a lot of trusts potentially wasting their time bidding for funding that just isn’t there.
“This doesn’t appear to reflect good financial planning from the DfE, which would be inexcusable to them if trusts behaved this way.”
He added: “More clarity is needed from the DfE on how much money is available, or a more honest system that is clearer on opportunity and the requirement from trusts.”
It is “very frustrating” for trusts to be left waiting for decisions on TCaF and other areas of funding, said Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts.
She added: “We have now seen regulatory decisions beginning to be made again post-election and summer recess, and we are encouraging the DfE to provide clarity for trusts as quickly as possible.”
Leaders would welcome clarity
TCaF money that is unspent by a set deadline can be clawed back. Some trust leaders have previously told Tes the spending windows can be restrictive and sometimes make it difficult to spend all the money.
This means that while more than £82 million has been allocated in TCaF 2022-23 and the first three windows of TCaF 2023-25, it is likely the total actual spend is smaller.
The DfE has introduced multi-year funding for TCaF 2023-25 that allows some trusts to spend grants over two years.
Association of School and College Leaders trust leadership consultant Rob Robson said the union “would welcome clarity on the level of funding available, and the successful applicants for this window, to help trust leaders plan their budgets going forward”.
Meanwhile, trusts have increasingly seen shortfalls in TCaF funding compared with the amount they bid for. In the latest window of funding announced, there was an average shortfall of £201,972.08.
The DfE announced last week that the Education and Skills Funding Agency would close from 31 March next year. Its responsibilities and staff will instead be under the DfE.
The DfE was contacted for comment. It reiterated a previous comment that the results of the latest round of TCaF will be announced in due course.
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