Scotland's first minister has outlined his plans for the future of education, calling for flexibility and choice within the existing comprehensive system.

Speaking at a conference of headteachers in Glasgow, Jack McConnell firmly backed comprehensive schooling.

He said he had faith in the principle of comprehensive education, but made it clear that it should not mean a uniform system and urged the need for flexibility and choice.

Excellence in every school will be the aim

On the issue of standards, he stressed that all schools should make the grade.

Mr McConnell said: "I am not interested in having a few schools with centres of excellence.

"My goal is for every school in Scotland to be excellent."

Nationalists attacked the speech as long on soundbites but short on big policies.

Mr McConnell, who has served as Scotland's education minister, spelt out his blueprint in his first major speech on education since becoming first minister.

• He outlined a new role for education inspectors, targeting struggling schools.

• Head teachers could be given the power to extend or shorten the school day.

• Primary teachers could be sent into secondary schools to help children deal with the transition period.

• There would be more vocational learning for pupils who do not want to pursue a university education.

• There could also be moves towards streaming in all but name, by "setting" - grouping children into sets - according to ability.

Mr McConnell called for the maximum curriculum flexibility, more parental involvement and greater powers of decision-making for heads and teachers.

Signalling moves towards grouping children by ability, the first minister said the first two years of secondary schooling moved too fast for some and too slow for others.

Setting was defined by him as grouping children by ability within particular subjects and Mr McConnell rejected the suggestions that likened it to the more controversial streaming of pupils.

He said: "So let's make more use of setting. Put real effort into genuine parental involvement and make progress through courses which are tailored to individual development."

In the third and fourth years of secondary education, he called for moves to tackle the disruption that stemmed from boredom and to increase choice for youngsters through more vocational work.

"We are not going to tolerate under-performing in our schools, our classrooms or our education departments," said the first minister.

'Big ideas'

"Our children get one chance at school education and I will not ask them to put their future on hold while management dithers and wonders whether to act."

Scottish National Party education spokesman Mike Russell said: "The small reforms talked about today by the first minister do not meet the reality of the current situation which is that there actually are some big ideas in Scottish education."

These, said Mr Russell, could range from a "radical" reduction in class sizes to a simplification of the exam system, and more flexibility for the five-14 programme.

Excellence in every school will be the aim

He said that Mr McConnell's contribution to the debate lacked "substance and vision".

The Scottish Tories said the first minister had put out conflicting statements on education in recent days.

Spokesman Brian Monteith said:"In the last two days, Jack McConnell has floated two completely contradictory concepts on education - a passionate defence of comprehensives to please the unions and the Left, and an attack on comprehensives to please those who live in the real world.

"He has tried to be all things to all men, but has only succeeded in being nothing to anyone."