SuDS in Schools Grant: DfE Funding for School Drainage

Sustainable drainage systems, or SuDS, are features such as rain gardens, planters, swales and tree pits that slow rainwater down and soak it up, instead of sending it straight into drains. On a school site they can cut flooding, add green space and give pupils something real to learn from. The Department for Education runs a dedicated grant for them, and searches for "SuDS in schools" and "schools SuDS grant funding" are common, especially while a round is open. This guide explains how the current round works, using DfE's own guidance on GOV.UK Find a grant, checked on the date shown on this page.

What the SuDS in Schools grant is

DfE's Schools Water Strategy team describes the scheme as an "invest to save" initiative. Its aim is to reduce surface water flood risk across the school estate, and it may also ease pressure on local drainage networks. DfE will consider projects of all sizes:

• Small schemes, such as a range of small, medium and large downpipe planters.
• Medium schemes, such as planters, small rain gardens and bioretention tree pits.
• Large schemes, such as planters, tree pits, swales or detention basins, and medium to large rain gardens.

Projects can be stand-alone or part of a wider set of works, but DfE will only fund the SuDS part.

Key facts for the 2027 to 2028 round

You can see our listing for the SuDS in Schools grant scheme, which links to the official advert and application form.

Who can apply

DfE calls applicants "delivery providers". You can apply if you are:

• a Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA)
• a water company
• a non-profit organisation
• a state-funded school (nursery, primary, secondary or alternative provision) in England
• a voluntary aided school in England.

All delivery providers and contributors go through DfE's due diligence checks.

Should a school apply on its own?

DfE says these projects can be complex to manage, with technical and reporting requirements, so it encourages individual schools to speak to their LLFA, local water company or a relevant non-profit first, to see whether a larger bid is planned that they could join. A bid can cover several schools, and the number of schools in a bid carries a small part of the score. For each school you must give its URN, name and postcode, which you can find on Get Information About Schools.

At application stage DfE does not need a formal commitment from each school, but it does need evidence that each one is aware of the project and may be interested, such as an email from the school.

The rules every bid must meet

Before any scoring, applications are checked against mandatory criteria. If you do not pass them, the application is declined. The bid must:

• cover both design and construction of the SuDS project
• run no more than 3 years from design to completed construction
• exclude any school due to be rebuilt in the next 3 to 5 years under the School Rebuilding Programme (DfE removes these schools from bids)
• accept DfE's standard Key Performance Indicators
• commit to match funding of at least 50% of the total SuDS project costs
• accept payment in arrears under DfE's grant terms
• include an educational session on the installed SuDS, such as a lesson, assembly or workshop
• confirm the applicant has not been convicted of any crime in the mandatory exclusion grounds.

Match funding and payment

DfE can fund up to 50% of total SuDS project costs, at its discretion. Your share can come from your own organisation or from third parties, but you must name each third-party contributor and give their registration or charity number and contribution. DfE cannot match fund against contributions from private individuals. If your project costs fall, you must tell DfE straight away, as your award may be reduced. Our guide to finding match funding has ideas for raising the other half.

Grant can only be claimed in arrears, after work is done. Claims are made against the design milestones (KPIs 2 and 3) and the installation milestone (KPI 6), but you need evidence that all seven KPIs were delivered, from school commitment through to maintenance plans. DfE expects qualified professionals such as landscape architects or civil engineers to deliver the technical work, and designs must comply with CIRIA C753 or an equivalent standard. The seven KPIs are, in order: evidence of school commitment; data, modelling, surveys and an outline design; a detailed design agreed with the school and certified by a professional; tendering and contract award; project managing the installation; evidence the installation matches the agreed design; and making sure each school understands how to maintain its SuDS, with maintenance plans in place.

Our capital grants guide covers how to manage cash flow on grants paid in arrears.

How bids are scored

Applications that pass the checks are scored out of 100%:

Before scoring, DfE also asks discretionary exclusion questions on matters such as modern slavery, breaches of environmental or labour law, insolvency, professional misconduct and poor performance on past contracts. If you do not pass one, you will be asked for further evidence.

There is a 20% minimum score, and scoring above it does not guarantee funding, because the number of grants depends on the budget. Assessment has seven stages: initial sift, discretionary exclusion check, award criteria, moderation, the minimum score check, outcome notification and grant agreement.

What to send

Applications use DfE's application form, submitted with:

1. the application checklist
2. the school list supporting document
3. evidence of flood risk or flood history for every school
4. evidence that every school has expressed an interest.

The form asks for an outline programme, timeframe, project stage, total cost and funding sought (excluding VAT), scheme size, the level of flood protection the design will provide and, for non-profits, whether you can recover VAT. Questions go to DfE's SuDS mailbox at SuDS.mailbox@education.gov.uk.

Tips for a strong bid

• Lead with flood evidence. Flood history is worth 30% of the score, so gather records, photos and reports for every school.
• Partner early. If you are a school, contact your LLFA or water company now. If you lead a multi-school bid, our guide to partnership agreements explains how to set out who does what.
• Plan the lesson. The educational session is mandatory, so build it into the programme.
• Leave time. With 5pm on 9 November as the deadline, all supporting evidence must arrive by then too.

If you miss this round, watch for future rounds and look at other school funding. See grants for schools, education funding and environmental grants for community groups, or read our PTA and school funding post.