A funding shake-up that could leave almost every school in Kirklees with less cash has been delayed - sparking speculation it may have been watered down.

It was revealed earlier this year that plans to make school budgets fairer by creating a National Funding Formula (NFF) would actually have a negative impact on all but three of Kirklees 171 schools.

The NFF was designed to increase funding in most deprived areas and bring an end to the postcode lottery that saw some children given a much better chance at success.

But teachers’ unions said it was flawed and would bring about cuts of hundreds of thousands of pounds at the biggest Kirklees schools.

Only Marsden Infant and Nursery, Lindley Infant and Kirkburton Middle were reported to be in line for an increase in funding, with some of the larger secondary schools facing six-figure cuts.

Education secretary Justine Greening has now postponed confirming the implementation of the NFF amid an annoucement that the Department for Education (DfE) was boosting schools’ budgets by £1.3bn in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

The money has been found from other parts of the DfE budget and is not new cash from the Treasury.

The delay has led many to speculate the controversial formula will be adjusted so areas like Kirklees aren’t hit so harshly.

A DfE spokesperson said the NFF would “deliver the biggest improvement to the school funding system for well over a decade” and vowed it would “ensure every local authority was in a position to give schools a cash increase”.

Kirklees Lib Dems said they welcomed the recent announcement about extra school funding, but cautioned that local schools could continue to struggle while funding levels remain low.

The group presented a motion to council last month, outlining their concern about school funding, and asking chief executive Jacqui Gedman to encourage local MPs to raise the issue with the Education Secretary.

Clr Andrew Marchington said: “Schools and families in Kirklees need to know what this announcement means for them.

“We all need to know what it means in real terms for every pupil.

The additional school funding needs to be set against inflationary costs and rising pupil numbers, while all schools will also be affected by the new national funding formula.

“These changes will impact on school budgets and the quality of education.

“Many of our schools are struggling, so it’s disappointing that there’s no ‘new’ money involved.

“The Government promised to increase the overall school budget by £4bn by 2022 in its recent manifesto and declared that no schools will experience funding cuts.

“This commitment needs to be honoured.”

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, said: “The delay indicates that even the Government recognises the scale of the challenge involved in creating a funding formula which enables schools to secure the educational entitlements of all children and young people.

“The devil will be in the detail of the Government’s proposals for reform to the school funding system, and it will be important that the details are considered carefully.

“A key challenge the Government faces in securing a fair funding system is a legacy of the last six years of misguided economic austerity which has been to the detriment of schools and pupils.”