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CIF bid FAQ: the 14 questions bursars ask

Fourteen questions bursars ask most, answered against the ESFA CIF technical guidance and the DfE outcomes dataset.

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For the structured FAQ rendering, the page schema attaches FAQPage JSON-LD. The questions and answers are listed in the schema block and surfaced inline below.

  1. Can a maintained school apply? No. Academy trusts and sixth-form colleges only.
  2. Round dates? Early Nov to mid-Dec 2026.
  3. Project cap? £4M all-in.
  4. How many bids? Limited per round, see technical guidance.
  5. VAT included in the cap? Yes.
  6. Free school? Via its trust.
  7. Resubmit? Yes, with strengthening informed by the feedback letter.
  8. Success rate? 28% nationally in May 2026.
  9. Best region? Yorkshire and the Humber, 46.4%.
  10. Worst region? North East, 20.3%.
  11. Consultant needed? No, but useful where evidence pack is the bottleneck.
  12. NWNF range? 4% to 8% of award.
  13. SCA toward contribution? Yes.
  14. RAAC? Usually SRP, not CIF.

Primary sources

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