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WHEN it comes to education, Scotland’s children need more than banal, fuzzy-sounding soundbites.

Education Secretary Angela Constance says she aspires to see every child succeed. Don’t we all?

And she says she is “passionate” about achieving goals to make sure no child is left behind. Yes, we’re all agreed on that, too.

But parents and pupils need more than warm words. We need action.

Scotland’s school system used to be the envy of the world. In truth, it’s testament to that remarkable reputation that cracks in the system aren’t more widely scrutinised.

Because the fact is this: Too many kids from poor backgrounds are held back by obstacles that should have been cleared a long time ago. Our universities do not attract as many bright students as they should from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Shockingly, there has been a steep decline in standards in reading and writing.

The proportion of second-years doing “well or better” at writing has plunged from 64 per cent to 55 per cent in just a few years. Numeracy skills are down, too.

Behind those statistics lies the human tragedy of children unable to properly express themselves or add up.

Make no mistake: Those children are being failed, their potential is not being developed.

Faced with these clear problems, Constance instinctively looks for positives, as did her two predecessors Mike Russell and Fiona Hyslop. Fair enough.

But there comes a time when that habit looks like a thinly veiled attempt at papering over some pretty hefty cracks.

We need more teachers, smaller classes, more books and less soundbites.

The SNP have been in charge in Scotland since 2007. Education is one of the issues Holyrood have complete control over.