THE Government has moved to defend its proposed funding formula for schools, claiming the current system is ‘unfair’ and ‘outdated’.

Under the proposed funding formula, Cheshire East Council would become the worst funded local authority for schools in England, down from £4,158 per head to £4,122 per head.

But a spokesman for the Department for Education has told the Guardian that the proposed funding formula is at the heart of the Government’s pledge to ‘build a country that works for everyone’.

It claims that the existing formula is based on ‘patchy and inconsistent decisions’ that have built up over many years, and on data that is more than a decade old.

The spokesman said: “The government has protected the core schools budget in real terms since 2010, with school funding at its highest level on record at more than £40bn in 2016-17.

“But the system for distributing that funding across the country is unfair, opaque and outdated.

“We are going to end the historical postcode lottery in school funding and under the proposed national schools funding formula, more than half of England’s schools will receive a cash boost.

“We are consulting on how we propose to weight funding and we know that it is important that we get the formulae and system right so that every pound of the investment we make in education has the greatest impact.

“We are keen to hear from as many schools, governors, local authorities and parents as possible.

“We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, which is why we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways, including improving the way they buy goods and services, so‎ they get the best possible value.”

The spokesman added that school funding would increase where pupil numbers rise, while ‘significant protections’ have also been built into the formula so no school would face a reduction of more than more than 1.5 per cent per pupil per year or three per cent per pupil overall solely from the formula.

Victoria Andersson, from Fair Funding For All Schools - Cheshire East, told the Guardian that although there is a need for fairer funding in all areas of the country, money shouldn’t be taken from east Cheshire to fund it.

She said: “We know east Cheshire is a wealthy area but it shouldn’t be used to prop up the rest of the country – our children deserve as much funding as anyone else’s children.

“The consultation is key. We need parents to answer it, and contact their MPs to make sure they will challenge the Government and vote with the results of the consultation.”

Consultation on the funding formula runs until Wednesday, March 22, and can be found at gov.uk/government/consultations/schools-national-funding-formula-stage-2