A government consultation which could lead to increased funding for our region's schools is likely to begin early next year, the education secretary has indicated.

Education leaders have long complained that our schools have received less funding per pupil than some other areas - often losing out by thousands of pounds per pupil.

In a letter to the House of Commons Education Select Committee yesterday, Nicky Morgan said: 'It is clearly unfair that a school in one part of the country can attract over 50pc more funding than an identical school elsewhere.'

In the last Parliament, the coalition government increased education funding for 69 local authorities, including Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, without fundamentally reforming the funding system, and the Conservative 2015 election manifesto promised to 'make schools funding fairer'.

Ian Clayton, principal of Thorpe St Andrew School, said the transformation of school standards in London over the past decade had involved a huge amount of funding, but he said was worried the government could use the introduction of a national funding formula to round funding down to the lowest common denominator.

Asked if historic funding levels had had a negative effect on education in Norfolk, Norwich North MP Chloe Smith said: 'Yes, quite probably. I don't think Norfolk has had the best deal out of this particular funding formula over successive governments.

'Clearly, educational performance comes from many different sources. Funding is one, but so is leadership, quality of teaching, the level of ambition and the quality of oversight from the local authority.

'Funding is not everything, but clearly it's important to get it right.'

The announcement came as MPs prepare to debate funding for schools this afternoon.

Do you have an education story? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk