YORK’S schools will be the worst funded in England next year - despite a new national funding formula aimed at tackling the postcode lottery.

A letter sent out by thousands of head teachers to parents across the country says an analysis of government statistics has shown that secondary schools in the City of York Council area will get an average of only £4,700 per pupil in 2018-19.

It says this compares with £6,450 per pupil in Greenwich, London - with the difference equating to nearly £2.5 million a year less for a school with 1,400 students - while Hackney will get the highest amount, £7,840.

The letter says York primary schools will get only £3,548 per pupil, compared to £4,898 per pupil in Greenwich.

It claims that, on average, "York is the lowest funded local authority in England".

The letter adds: “Parents and carers need to be clear that schools in very similar socioeconomic areas will continue to have entirely different levels of funding....your child’s education will still be at the behest of a postcode funding lottery.”

The letter also claims that, as well as such disparities, there is “simply not enough money in the system” to fund schools properly, as costs continue to rise and budgets come under severe pressure.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said earlier this month that the new National Funding Formula would “represent the biggest improvement in the school funding system for decades”.

York Outer Tory MP Julian Sturdy welcomed the new deal then as “a victory for York schools". He said yesterday that as the formula came into effect, there would be a two year period of transition with capped annual increases.

“Throughout this period, York will be ‘catching up’ and this will be reflected by average year-on-year increases in per pupil funding from the schools block. Therefore, whilst York’s relative position in the pecking order remains largely unchanged, our schools will benefit in cash terms.”

York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell said it was "devastating" for teachers, parents and pupils to learn that York had fallen to the bottom of the funding league table.

City of York Council said young York people had once again achieved some of the best results in the country with some of the lowest funding levels.

“Although the new formula will still result in us being one of the lowest funded areas, we are pleased we have received one of the largest increases under the new arrangements,” said a spokesman.“Despite this substantial rise, we will continue to argue the case for more money for our schools.”

A Department for Education spokesman said the new formula – backed by £1.3 billion of investment - would mean school funding distributed for the first time according to a formula based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country. “It has been widely welcomed and will put an end to the historic disparities in the system,” he said.

“Our formula will provide significant gains for under-funded schools of up to three per cent per pupil in 2018-19 and a further three per cent in 2019-20.”