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Professor Jim Scott from the University of Dundee explains phasing from S1 to S4 must be done sensibly.

He posits that in any school where there are children with aspirations should offer seven courses.

SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth says the fear in teaching was you could not assess pupils until the end of S3.

Dr Alan Britton from the University of Glasgow highilghts the "confused policy landscape".

There is a tension of governance that this not been resolved.

Tory MSP Liz Smith wonders if the lack of connection between general education and the senior phase is down to what is on offer at schools or the standard of schools.

Dr Janet Brown of the SQA highlights that eight subjects used to be taken over two years but now we are trying to fit six into one.

What's on offer has an implication on how many candidates are being asked whether they want to do Highers over two years or over two "two-term dashes".

Ms Smith asks about the review.

The curriculum assessment board is considering what National 4 needs to be in the future, Dr Brown explains.

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Labour MSP Mary Fee says our schools should meet the needs of our children and it would seem in some cases they are not.

Ms Fee asks what impact does the curriculum choices available have on the skills gap.

Professor Jim Scott from the University of Dundee says yes it must.

He says his current trawl of secondary schools suggests some schools are going towards the wrong end of the spectrum.

Prof Scott says fragmentation affects the future life chances of pupils.

Dr Marina Shapira clarifies that there is a link between schools being in areas of deprivation (based on free school meals) and the number of subject choices.

She suggests this might be because these schools have more difficulties in attracting subject teachers.

There is a relationship between the number of qualified full time teachers and the average number of subject choices.

Another explanation could be that children from deprived backgrounds are more likely to rely on school advice for pathway progression.

However, Dr Shapira says the link is not totally clear and more research is required.

Ms Lamont says there is a whole group in S4 who do not get a qualification, which was not the case with standard grades.

Professor Jim Scott says there is a rise in the number of pupils who do not get a qualification.

The academic argues some children are falling through the cracks with nothing.

The safety belt removal has added to the problem for these children, argues Prof Scott.

Labour MSP Johann Lamont says it is "deeply troubling" that children may have fewer chances now than they did previously.

Is there a clear understanding of why we do not have certification at fourth year and what we should be doing about this, she wonders.

Ms Lamont also hones in on Dr Shapira's point that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been effected most negatively.

Prof Jim Scott says an able child in a less-able catchment is less likely to do well.

The certification decision was taken by the then education secretary based on professional advice, he adds.

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Dr Janet Brown from the SQA tells the committee the nature of what subjects are taken is at the level of the schools.

Dr Brown explains school role information is not available.

She says attainment across national courses was in line with previous years.

New qualifications were introduced in 2014, which affects comparisons she adds.

Dr Shapira says a reduction of the curriculum is being considered as one of the unexpected consequences, as one of the aims was the broaden education opportunities for young people.

However, she argues it was not unexpected.

There was a clearly established link between student backgrounds and their choices, as well as school characteristics and subject choices she tells the committee.

Dr Shapira says this link becomes stronger under CfE.

She suggests carrying out more research into how schools shape curricula and how this impacts young people's opportunities.

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The pass rate for this year's Higher exams was "broadly stable", Education Secretary John Swinney has said.

He was speaking on the day more than 135,000 pupils in Scotland found out how they had done in their National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers.

The number of entries for Highers and the proportion of students who received a pass mark both fell slightly.

Mr Swinney said it was "another very strong performance by young people in Scotland".

He told the BBC: "We've seen the number of Highers broadly stable and consistent in terms of the pass rate, despite the fall in pupil numbers who are involved in S5 and S6 within Scottish education."

• Seven As for boy given 1% recovery chance
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Dr Marina Shapira from the University of Stirling begins by talking about her research into the decline in the number of subject choices in S4.

Dr Shapira says there is a clear relationship in the rate of reduction in the number of subject choices and the level of deprivation, which is very worrying.

There is a reduction across all secondary schools but the reduction in areas of deprivation is the worst, she states.

Dr Britton says schools and school leaders are having to retrofit solutions to the architecture they have been left with, and these decisions are not necessarily educational decisions.

They have to make pragmatic decisions around timetabling and resources, he states.

We are caught between centralised forms of accountability and a presumption of devolved responsibility for other elements of education, Dr Britton adds.

He suggests we have ended up with a curriculum for excellence operationally that was not necessarily intended.

Dr Britton calls for collective work to address these problems.

Dr Alan Britton of the University of Glasgow explains he has been tracking the curriculum for excellence since its outset.

"We have perhaps lost sight of what it is we're trying to do."

The issues which have emerged were inevitable but unintended consequences, he suggests.

Professor Jim Scott from the University of Dundee says: "The evidence here is equity is not being achieved but things are actually getting worse."

The academic states children and parents should be consulted about their curriculum.

Schools in less affluent areas generally are the ones whose attainment has gone down, he explains.

"It appears we have a problem."

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The professor highlights there is an issue at the national level where the process has been "orthogonal", with a "random governance pathway".

(To be honest, I had to look up what orthogonal meant: "of or involving right angles; at right angles".)

He backs the view that there should be reconceptualisation of CfE.

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One of Scotland's leading experts on education has warned that the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) could be "disastrous" for school pupils.

Prof Lindsay Paterson, from the University of Edinburgh, said the programme lacked "academic rigour" and was "dumbing down" education.

He also said the programme, introduced in Scotland's schools in 2010, could widen the attainment gap, not close it.

The Scottish government insisted CfE was "strong, bold and effective".

Curriculum for Excellence was introduced to give teachers more flexibility over what and how they teach.

• Swinney defends school curriculum reforms
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Prof Scott says the changes have impacted both the quantity of attainment, as well as progression pathways available to children.

Revealing he used to be a headteacher, he says teachers used to assure children that progression pathways were there but this is harder to do now.

"It's almost impossible in a five course school."

He points to one school which made English, Gaelic and Maths as mandatory courses, leaving just two choices for pupils which is "a refined form of madness".

In terms of leavers attainment, things have continued to improve he accepts.

But looking at the profile of what has happen, attainment grew strongly until curriculum for excellence but since then it has grown quite slowly, plateaued and now looks like it is going down.

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Concerns over the choice of subjects available in some secondary schools came to the fore at First Ministers Questions in May.

Conservative leader Ruth Davidson highlighted how some youngsters get the chance to do just six qualifications in S4 while others do more.

The situation varies from school to school and from council to council.

But does the number of qualifications a youngster obtains in S4 really matter?

In the old days, it was simple.

• Teacher shortage blamed for limited subject range
• Read more here.

Professor Scott explains the CfE allows headteachers to decide what courses are there and it seems some have picked random choices.

The academic says the latest position is that 54% of schools are offering S4 pupil only six courses, with less schools offering seven and even less offering eight. Some hardy schools are offering only five.

Prof Scott states that the latest evidence, which he has just collated, demonstrates that for many children their choice is being squeezed.

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Prof Jim Scott tells the committee that major initiatives tend to take 10-15 years to work through, so one should expect issues.

"We are not yet at the end of the process by any means."

He says there is significant fragmentation of the curriculum and the 1+2 language process is not widespread.

The real problem lies in S4, Prof Scott says, pointing to his curriculum map which highlights the issues with the model begin in S3.

New convener Clare Adamson welcomes the panel to this morning's session. It includes:

• Dr Alan Britton from the University of Glasgow
• Professor Jim Scott from the University of Dundee
• Dr Marina Shapira from the University of Stirling
• Dr Janet Brown from the SQA
• Alistair Wylie from the SQA