Gareth Mcpherson political reporter

Scotland’s education system has not gone down the pan and its children are not being condemned to woefully sub-standard schooling.

But the decline in performance since 2000 on the flagship international measure will be seen as a damning indictment of the SNP Government’s stewardship of education over nearly a decade in power.

Scotland was among the world’s topflyers for much of the early part of the century, but has since slumped to “above average” and now to just “average”.

The SNP has sought to make education its top domestic priority, with closing the attainment gap at its heart.

These figures will only make education secretary John Swinney more determined to drive through controversial reforms on how schools are run, which includes creating regional education boards.

He is likely to encounter opposition from councils, unions and other parties, who fear he will undermine local accountability and risk repeating English mistakes over academisation.

What is clear is that the effort to improve performance will not come by simply throwing money at the problem – Scotland pumps far more into education than south of the border with broadly similar results.

It could be that fundamental reform is where the answer lies.