Guidance

Strategic School Improvement Fund

Funding for eligible schools for a range of school improvement activities.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 24 March 2017
• Last updated: 21 February 2019 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on 30 November 2021

All projects funded through the Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF) have now ended and there will not be any further application rounds.

Applies to England

Overview

The Strategic School Improvement Fund is now closed. There will be no further application rounds.

The Strategic School Improvement Fund: emergency funding will remain open.

The Strategic School Improvement Fund was a grant to support:

• first schools
• infant schools
• primary schools
• secondary schools
• middle schools
• all-through, maintained nursery schools
• alternative provision and special academies and maintained schools
• post-16 academies
• pupil referral units

The fund targeted resources at the schools most in need to improve school performance and pupil attainment, to help them use their resources most effectively and to deliver more good school places.

The fund supported a broad range of school improvement activities including, but not limited to:

• leadership
• governance
• teaching methods and approaches
• financial health and efficiency

The fund supported medium- to long-term sustainable activities across groups of schools with a preference towards support provided by schools, for schools.

Funded projects

Over £56 million has been awarded to a total of 171 projects. The projects are providing support to just over 3,100 individual schools of all types across the country. Find out which projects were successful.

Contact

Please use this email address for all questions and enquiries.

Strategic School Improvement Fund

Email ssif.enquiries@education.gov.uk

Published 24 March 2017
Last updated 21 February 2019 + show all updates

1. 21 February 2019

   Removed reviewing arrangements notice.

2. 1 August 2018

   Updated with information about the closure of the fund and added a link to the successful projects.

3. 15 May 2018

   Updated guidance after closing of the latest application round.

4. 31 January 2018

   Online application form is now available.

5. 22 January 2018

   Round 2 successful applicants announced.

6. 22 December 2017

   Round 3 of the Strategic School Improvement Fund is now open

7. 20 October 2017

   Application round now closed

8. 9 October 2017

   Education Endowment foundation presentation available on Using evidence in applications to the Strategic School Improvement Fund.

9. 2 October 2017

   Support on the application process and how to develop evidence-informed projects

10. 12 September 2017

    Information added about round 2 of the Strategic School Improvement Fund.

11. 8 September 2017

    Successful applications announced.

12. 23 June 2017

    Strategic School Improvement Fund application round 1 has now closed

13. 21 April 2017

    Strategic School Improvement Fund now open.

14. 24 March 2017

    First published.