A Department for Education spokesperson comments on the IFS report on the funding system used for schools:

"The IFS agrees that maintaining the current funding system is undesirable and without it school funding may become less transparent and less related to education needs over time. We want to make it fairer, simpler and more transparent.

""The introduction of a new formula would inevitably mean that some schools would receive more funding and some would receive less.

"We would, however, put in place transitional arrangements to ensure that schools do not experience sharp changes to their budgets."