Mr Swinney says there has been a "strong rise" in the percentage of school leavers leaving school with at least one Higher.

There is no statistical difference in the pass rate of Highers in the last three years with the exception of a fall between 2017/18 and 2018/19 he says.

He insists reforms will benefit the schools of Scotland.

Labour MSP Iain Gray remembers some convoluted excuse notes from his teaching days but this is from Mr Swinney is a "classic of the genre".

Mr Gray asks if the education secretary can agree a four year decline of attainment at all levels has happened, bar one improvement at National 5.

He asks if the OECD will be instructed to consider whether these trends have been driven by the structure of the curriculum.

The Labour education also cites the loss of specialist subject principle teachers and advisers.

The deputy first minister says he has made is clear that not everything is perfect but he takes comfort in the assessment that Scottish education is taking steps needed to strengthen performance.

The most recent Pisa figures found reading performance was improving he adds.

If Mr Greene insists exam pass rates must constantly increase he is going against professional advice that says this is not always possible, Mr Swinney says.

He insists he is committed to closing the attainment gap and there are indications interventions are working.

Tory MSP Jamie Greene says there is good work going on in education however he lists what he sees as the following concerns:

• people leaving school with one qualification or more has dropped
• the gold standard of pupils leaving school with four highers or more has dropped
• in some subjects the pass rate has dropped by 10%
• Scotland has lost its coveted place at the top of the reading charts in the UK

Mr Greene asks if the cabinet secretary agrees with teachers that the drop in pass rates is far more than the annual volatility expected.

Attainment across many levels has been in decline for the last five years, argues the Tory MSP.

He also asks if Mr Swinney agrees the closure in the attainment gap is due to a higher decline of attainment among the most deprived rather than a leveling up of the least deprived.

Mr Swinney says more young people are leaving for positive destinations than ever before and those leaving school with at last one Higher is increasing.

It is not the case that some subjects matter more than others but when looking at the most popular ones, performance is up he adds.

We cannot expect a continual increase in pass rates he warns, adding changes in pass rates should be "considered with caution".

I remain committed to the changes we have instituted and the published paper sets out what future action is needed, the education secretary states.

Image source, bbc

Education Secretary John Swinney begins reiterating that education is the highest priority of this government.

Mr Swinney says he published analysis of the 2019 exams diet last Thursday.

He released the report and the review concurrently due to an FOI deadline and said it was never the government's intention to release the information as late as occurred last week.

The interpretation of the deadline turned out to be incorrect, he explains.

Image source, Getty Images

Opposition parties have criticised the Scottish government after an official report revealed a decline in the exam performance of school pupils.

The analysis, external was posted on the government's website at 20:00 on Thursday.

It revealed that the number of students achieving passes in core Higher subjects dropped significantly in 2019, in some cases by as much as 10%.

The Conservatives said there were "clearly major problems" in education.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

Education Secretary John Swinney will now make a statement on the exam performance paper published last week and the remit of the OECD review published yesterday.

The terms of a review of the Curriculum for Excellence system used in Scottish schools have been published.

The Scottish government has tasked the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with carrying out an independent study of the senior phase of education.

It will report back to ministers in February 2021.

The review was widened after MSPs voted to call for a fuller examination of "key weaknesses" in schooling.

Read more.

After yesterday’s SNP-Green budget deal was announced, the general principles of the Budget Bill will be agreed to this evening.

The Stage 1 debate kicks off at 2.50pm and the vote will be at 5pm, so join us for extensive coverage, analysis and social media reaction all afternoon.

Before all that budgetary excitement, Education Secretary John Swinney will make a statement on the exam performance paper published last week and the remit of the OECD review published yesterday. This begins at 2pm.

SNP MSP Tom Arthur leads a debate on the conservation of Scotland's war memorials.

His motion, below, praises War Memorial Associations including the one in Neilston.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The first minister highlights the commitment to introduce the Scottish Child Payment, as well as other measures in the budget relating to closing the attainment gap and childcare.

The budget will support measures to tackle child poverty, she insists.

Ms Boyack says the budgets short of the mark, pointing to various third sector organisations making such comments.

Crisis grants are a vital lifeline but councils need proper funding to cope with increased demand, she argues.

Ms Sturgeon suggests Labour is trying to think of reasons to vote against the budget even though it fulfills the party's demands.

If Labour vote against this budget they put measures to tackle child poverty at risk, she argues.

That concludes first minister's questions.

Labour MSP Sarah Boyack asks about Cosla warning the draft Budget proposals put the 2030 child poverty target at risk.

Image source, Getty Images

The Scottish government's child poverty targets are being put at risk by "successive years of cuts", the council umbrella group has warned.

Cosla has said the government's proposed budget falls short of what councils need to deliver essential services.

Cllr Stephen McCabe said: "As the budget stands, these services will be under threat and the central role that councils have in reaching the most vulnerable is once again not fully recognised."

The Scottish government has previously said it has done its best for councils despite "UK government cuts".

Mr Whittle says access to music tuition is increasingly only available to those who can afford it.

The first minister replies she is concerned by moves by any council to limit access to music tuition.

In this afternoon's budget there will be an additional £95m going to local authorities which should help, she adds.

• The first debate on the draft budget takes place this afternoon, following the deal struck between the Greens and the Scottish government yesterday.

Tory MSP Brian Whittle asks about the educational benefits of learning to play music.

Image source, Getty Images

Music tuition should be provided free of charge in schools, Holyrood's education committee recommended last year.

Some councils still give pupils individual lessons for free, but others have introduced charges of up to £524.

And with council budgets currently being set, some councils are once again reassessing the cost of music tuition in schools.

MSPs said they "respect the democratic right of local authorities to take decisions about local expenditure and acknowledge the choices they face".

But they said that "in principle, music tuition should be provided free of charge in every local authority".

The first minister says the impact of flooding can be significant.

Managing flood risk is a priority for the government she adds, pointing to investment in protection.

Mr McMillan raises reports of road closures due to flooding causing people to spend the night in their cars.

He calls for a study into roads and infrastructure in his constituency.

Ms Sturgeon says the A8 is currently under review, while Scottish Water and Inverclyde Council are working together on minimising flood risk in the area.