In quotes: Education inspection

Inspection shows that Scottish education already does many things well and some things particularly well.

A small but significant number of learners are let down by weaknesses in the education they receive.

It is encouraging that we are able to report high quality leadership across all sectors but there still remain too many instances where significant improvement is needed.

Scotland's education system generally performs well against international comparisons.

But it is the case that our overall good performance masks the fact that a significant minority are underperforming in terms of educational achievement.

It is unfair and unjust to the pupils who are underperforming and it's unsustainable economically for Scotland as a whole.

What the report published today describes is an educational system in which local authorities are providing the direction, public accountability and drive for improvement.

There remain challenges for all of us, not least to improve outcomes for our lowest attaining young people to help them fully develop and realise their potential.

But what this report tells us is that we are well positioned to meet those challenges and to ensure that Scotland's education system remains up there at the top of the class.

It's a fair and balanced score card. Some head teachers focus more on the bureaucracy, administration and management and not enough on the teaching and learning.

Rather than act as some sort of arm's length sergeant major, head teachers need to get back to what they used to be - their job title designates them first and foremost as teachers.

I think that where weaknesses in leadership are identified something must be done because the education of children is too important to jeopardise.

But the regime that finds the weaknesses has to be itself robust. You've got to have good reason, you've got to know in exactly what area they are weak.

You've also got to support head teachers but if that doesn't work you've got to have a change.

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