The first Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme ran from 2017 to 2019. The condition and building management data for every state-maintained school in England was collected and used to support decisions on where investment for school building condition improvements was most needed.
In total, data was collected from 63,942 teaching blocks across 22,031 schools. It’s no surprise the CDC was one of our public sector’s biggest data collection programmes – and it returned a few years ago for round two. Read on for what you need to know about the Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2), including:
- The types of data collected by the CDC2
- Findings from the first condition data collection
- How to access CDC2 results
What did the first condition data collection find?
The CDC2 started in 2021 and will run to 2026. Like the first programme, every government-funded school in England will be visited and surveyed to collect important condition data to support decisions around investment. This will build on the findings of the first CDC, which showed:
- A total of £11.4 billion was needed for remedial works to replace or repair all defective elements across our school estates
- Electrical services (like IT infrastructure and mains switch panels) had the highest cost for repair/replacement – some £2.5 billion
- Sanitary ware had the lowest cost: £18 million
What data is collected in the CDC2?
The CDC2 is collecting three main types of school condition data.
1. Asset and general site data
Schools are asked to gather and provide this data for a preliminary meeting. Surveying teams then use this information to plan site visits, where all buildings are inspected visually. The data schools need to collect includes details of the estate and the buildings within it, like:
- Construction type
- Size
- Contextual information (like known planning restrictions)
2. Condition data
At a high level, this describes the condition of building and engineering elements within a building block. Surveying teams collect this information when they conduct school site visits, and schools can inform them of any condition issues they already know about during the preliminary meeting. Or, at the pre-CDC2 meeting, which takes place just before the visual site inspection.
3. Building management data
More data is collected at the preliminary and pre-CDC2 meetings, like:
- Thermal performance
- Estate management
- Asbestos management
- Energy efficiency
Schools will also be asked if they have an asbestos register and/or management plan by the surveying team.
What will the CDC2 show?
Once all this data from schools is gathered and analysed, the CDC2 programme will provide current evidence for the DfE to:
Spot the school buildings that should be included in rebuilding programmes
This will make sure responsible bodies (and their schools needing site repairs/replacements) will receive capital funding allocations to improve condition.
Advise future condition funding allocations
It’s hoped this will show school condition priorities to support more informed investment.
Responsible bodies will also be able to take advantage of an overview of school condition need across all the sites they’re accountable for. Both these bodies and schools can/will have access to photographic evidence of condition issues across their buildings. In turn, this can be used to enhance capital funding bids and awards – for instance, for the condition improvement fund (CIF) or school condition allocations (SCA).
What happens next?
Next year, the CDC2 programme will come to an end. It’ll then be up to decision makers to use the immense amount of data collected to make the most informed choices about where condition improvement funding needs channelling the most – and how we can future-proof school estates for the future.
What you need to know about the CDC2
When all validation checks and data quality assurance has taken place, schools and responsible bodies can access condition data collection 2 data via the CDC2 portal. You’ll get a notification when your report is available, three months after the site visit has taken place (typically).
No! It’s still really important for schools to carry out their own condition management activities (like surveys) to make sure they’ve got the most detailed and up-to-date data about their sites.
The condition data collection 2 started in 2021 and will finish in 2026.
The CDC2 programme will visit all government funded educational establishments including nursery, primary and secondary phase education. Some further education providers will be surveyed, too. Privately owned and operated nursery schools that don’t share their buildings with schools will not be visited.
Schools can access different types of funding depending on different criteria. For instance, SCA funding goes to the eligible bodies that are responsible for maintaining school buildings – it’s up to them to distribute it to the relevant schools. On the other hand, eligible schools can bid for money from the condition improvement fund for site remedial/repair work. For more information on available school capital funding, click here.
The first condition data collection programme ran from 2017 to 2019.
The DfE has published guidance about the programme – click here to view it.
