I recently spoke with Dr Robin Bevan, the headteacher at Southend High School for Boys, and something he said about school funding struck a chord with me.

Bevan and his colleagues deliver the highest standards of education, despite being one of the poorest-funded schools in the country. And like many, he is concerned that not only will there be insufficient money to fund the state education system, but also that it will continue to be distributed unfairly.

Theresa May’s government was committed to reforming school funding through the national funding formula, but when the election was called, progress came to a standstill. Now it is not clear if the government has the votes to push through the reform.

Bevan’s school has increased class sizes; more pupils are packed into the buildings than they were intended for; some classrooms haven’t been decorated for 20 years; and textbook purchases are on hold. He explained to me that, while the formula wasn’t perfect, it gave hope that the school would be viable for 2018-19 and beyond. But now he feels they’re at a cliff edge with a blindfold on.

Southend High’s planning timeline runs 18 months ahead. This year it is releasing a prospectus for entry in 2018 with no guarantee that the curriculum and activities within it will be viable. Bevan is clear on what is needed and it’s a view that the National Association of School Business Management wholeheartedly supports: the next generation of young people should be given every opportunity to succeed in school. Platitudes about austerity aren’t necessary. What is needed is a “triple-lock” promise for school funding.

Fair funding is essential

So, the government needs to do three things:

* First, adopt a funding formula that will ensure equal funding for equivalent schools. Simply put, those who argue against the formula have missed the point: it is essential to provide fair funding.

* Second, it needs to guarantee minimum levels of per-pupil funding. No secondary school pupil should receive less than £5,000 per year, whilst those at a primary level need to be guaranteed £4,000.

* And finally, it needs to commit to increase current funding levels in line with inflation.

While schools are facing significant cost pressures, some are better placed than others to cope. Some heads might be standing on a cliff edge, while others are facing a gentle slope. We can’t magic funding out of nowhere, but whatever happens regarding the total quantum, we must address the inequity of the distribution mechanism.

Stephen Morales is CEO at the National Association of School Business Management, which is transitioning to become the Institute of School Business Leadership this year