Rex
A national formula to calculate funding for schools has come under fire.
A think tank has issued a warning that cuts to school budgets will hit deprived areas the most.
One in six schools could see their budgets cut by 10 per cent or more under the Government's plans to overhaul education funding.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank has warned secondary schools and schools in deprived parts of England will lose the most from the planned changes, which include a single national formula to calculate how much funding each school receives.
At the moment, local authorities decide how to allocate funds in schools, but if the planned national formula goes ahead, it could lead to 'significant, sustained losses' for some state schools, according to the IFS.
It's thought secondary schools in Liverpool, Wigan, Coventry, Wolverhampton and north-east Lincolnshire could lose the most as the number of pupils has risen dramatically in the last couple of years.
Researchers say there's wide variation in the fundings schools currently get. Last year, some primary schools received £3,000 per student, while others got nearly double that. Secondary school funding ranged from £4,000-£7,000 per pupil.
Luke Sibieta, co-author of the report, said the government needed to decide "whether the advantages of a national formula - simplicity, transparency and responsiveness of funding - exceed the costs that the adjustment process would entail".
"Maintaining the status quo is unlikely to be desirable," he commented. "Without reform, school funding may become less transparent and less related to educational needs over time."
Would you worry about you child's school funding if this new national formula was introduced?