The government has set out plans to end an "outdated" school funding formula branded deeply unfair by critics.
At the Autumn Statement, chancellor George Osborne announced the funding allocation for schools would be overhauled by 2017-18.
The existing formula has been attacked for leaving the best-funded schools able to hire 40 more teachers than the worst off, with a cash variable of as much as £3,000 per pupil.
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Proposals put out to consultation by the DfE today include a per-pupil funding allocation as well as extra cash for additional needs such as deprivation, low academic attainment and English as an additional language.
Areas that face higher costs will also get more cash under the plans.
The initial consultation will be followed up by a further review on the weighting of finance allocation.
Education secretary Nicky Morgan said a new national formula was the “biggest step towards fairer funding in over a decade”.
“It will also ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to receive significant additional funding to overcome entrenched barriers to their success,” she added.
“This is a key part of our core mission to extend opportunity to all children and provide educational excellence in all parts of the country: rural and urban, shire and metropolitan, north and south.”