PLUGGING THE BUDGET GAP

1st September 2010

Pentagon, meanwhile, is a sports and nursery facilities provider which also offers guidance for how schools can get the funding for their facilities. Their brochure, A Guide to Funding Opportunities for Improving School Grounds, gives details of companies that offer funding for schools. The brochure offers details of charities, trusts and foundations that can help schools too.

According to Pentagon’s brochure, funding for green energy schools can be provided by firms such as B&Q and O2, and trusts like the Woodland Trust and the Ernest Cook Trust, as well as energy companies. RBS and Children in Need can grant funds for outdoor play. Schools can get funds for sports and fitness through the Football Foundation, which works with the Premier League, the Football Association and the government. Suppliers for other types of funding include Kelloggs, Tesco, Lloyds Tsb and the Roald Dahl Foundation.

It’s clear that there are various options open to schools when they seek funding. While BSF has gone and Becta is going, there may be other funds for schools announced in the upcoming capital spending review. However, many schools hoping for emergency funds from this may be left just as disappointed as some were by the BSF announcement.

The way are turning to private finance may mark the beginning of a trend that sees schools work with private organisations more often. The current government will welcome this as it aims for greater private sector involvement in public matters – a desire demonstrated with its ‘Big Society’ manifesto. Whatever else happens, in the medium to long term, alternative finance schemes for schools seem certain to become used more widely.

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