DfE LCVAP Applications

[Bankesy]

Good afternoon,

 

Couldn't quite find a good place to post this query but does anybody know roughly how long it takes or is currently taking for the DfE to handle LCVAP applications?

 

Thanks

[RichP]

Assuming you're referring to the capital fund, I thought LCVAP was replaced with CIF quite a while ago. CIF has made announcements for this year https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2024-to-2025-outcome.

Of course in the world of acronyms these days I could be talking about the wrong thing!

[Bankesy]

@RichP

 

I'm not sure, I just know that my IT projects this year are being put forward under LCVAP applications. Perhaps this CIF is more to do with buildings?

[Steve21]

That sounds more like Devolved Formula Capital, where the school gets a pot of money from the DfE every year, and they can choose what to spend it on from certain areas (buildings, grounds, IT etc).

 

But that's not something there's a request/wait period on. The school already has that money for this year and it's just down to the schools to allocate where it's spent

 

Steve

[Bankesy]

@RichP @Steve21

 

I've asked our Finance Director who has asked our Group Lead (someone in another school who handles the LCVAP applications, even though we are not in a Trust) and that group lead says on the difference between LCVAP and CIF:

 

"LCVAP - now called SCA (school conditions allocation) is for multi academy trusts of groups of VA schools. CIF funding is for single schools or smaller groups of schools. You can only be in one group of the other, so we cant make CIF bids (bidding for specific projects based on condition), as we get a formula-based allocationto cover everything."

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#overview

[Bankesy]

Update for anybody following this thread:

 

DfE rejected funding for PCs and laptops, stating that SCA cannot be used to purchase PCs of any kind.

[PotNoodleTech]

Not surprising when it says it's for "condition of school buildings"?

 

Always worth a try though!

[Bankesy]

@PotNoodleTech

 

DfE confirmed that it still applies to servers, network switches and cabling, arguably a stretch on the "condition of school buildings" anyway.

[PotNoodleTech]

@PotNoodleTech

 

DfE confirmed that it still applies to servers, network switches and cabling, arguably a stretch on the "condition of school buildings" anyway.

 

I suppose you could argue that without those things the school building will be negatively affected heating/cctv/alarm/fire alarm/etc

[Bankesy]

@PotNoodleTech

 

Just found out as as well that it can be used for UPS

[PotNoodleTech]

@PotNoodleTech

 

Just found out as as well that it can be used for UPS

 

That's one thing that most schools skimp on - so go for it.

[Primus]

Does anyone have documentation confirming SCA can be spent on these items please?

[Bankesy]

@Primus I've got e-mails from the VA Approvals team

[Bankesy]

Good morning all,

 

Reviving this thread in the hope that somebody has experience with using LCVAP\SCA for cybersecurity platforms to protect infrastructure, and whether or not the SCA fund covers any annual costs associated with these licenses?

 

Thank you