I am currently head of a school which receives pound;800 per pupil less than the school in which I was formerly a deputy. This equates to a staggering pound;1.2m per year comparing two schools of similar size and with pupils from a similar background.

Sir Jeremy’s picture of generous local authorities wholly committed to delegating more than they receive nto their schools simply does not reflect the reality many of us face every day.

A national funding formula would do away with the inequalities of the arcane standard spending assessment system and ensure that all of us would at least start on a level playing field.

The debate about how LEAs should allocate funds to local priorities and the place of private contractors would then be able to commence properly.

Brian Lightman. Headteacher St Cyres school. Penarth Vale of Glamorgan