Australian Greens spokesperson for schools and deputy chair of the Senate Select Committee on School Funding, Senator Penny Wright, said the Abbott Government had cut the lion's share of the funding for schools like Wingham Public School by only agreeing to a four-year funding plan, not the original six years.

Wingham Public School's submission to the inquiry said they would have used the extra money to employ extra literacy and numeracy classes and improve access to counsellors.

"For too long, country schools have been under-resourced, making it harder for these students to reach their potential, and that's just not fair," Senator Wright said.

"Wingham Public School's submission shows what a difference some extra money would mean in helping kids succeed at school.

"A truly needs-based funding system would have seen big increases for country schools, but the Abbott Government has come up with a hodge-podge system with no guarantees."

Senator Wright said the Senate inquiry, which will run until the middle of the year, is looking into how the Abbott Government's multiple policy backflips on school funding have affected local schools.

"There has been a lot of anger and uncertainty over the Abbott Government's education policies," Senator Wright added.

"Now with the help of schools like Wingham Public School, we're starting to get a picture of what those broken promises will actually mean for our kids."

The Senate inquiry is taking submissions until March 21.