What changed for the 2026-27 cycle.
The changelog records every rule and number change made by ESFA at the 2026-27 cycle and every refresh of this handbook against that source. The format mirrors the way a parliamentary annotated act flags amendments.
Compiled by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder, Digital Signet. Reviewed against ESFA Information for Applicants 2026-27 and the Condition Funding Methodology March 2026 revision.
Round 13 outcomes published. 871 projects funded against an awarded total of approximately £456 million. The indicative funded threshold landed at approximately 72 of 100 on the 60/25/15 weighted grid.
ESFA CIF outcomes 2026-27 (Round 13)
Condition Funding Methodology revised. The 60/25/15 weighting (Project Need / Project Cost / Project Planning) is retained for 2026-27. The methodology adds explicit guidance on RAAC remediation prioritisation within the building-safety project category.
ESFA Condition Funding Methodology 2026-27, §3
Bishop Fleming published updated partial-exemption guidance for academy trusts. Where a MAT crosses the partial-exemption threshold as a result of CIF-funded works, the recovery position differs from grant-funded works. The handbook now cross-references that guidance in §04.05.
Bishop Fleming insights, February 2026
2026-27 bid window closed. The cycle remained on the published timetable from the October 2025 open.
ESFA Information for Applicants 2026-27, §6
2026-27 round opened. Information for Applicants reissued with the small-MAT threshold unchanged at fewer than 5 schools and fewer than 3,000 pupils. The £20,000 grant floor is unchanged. There remains no formally stated grant ceiling.
ESFA Information for Applicants 2026-27, §2.4 and §4.3
Handbook published. First edition. Compiled by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder, Digital Signet.
cifguide.co.uk, first edition