LAST week’s findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment on education made sobering reading for the Scottish Government.

Scotland’s schools produced their worst ever results in the study, with performances in reading, maths and science declining in comparison to other countries.

Seventeen years into devolution, and nine years after the SNP took power, it is depressing to think we are going backwards in such a crucial area.

It is now clear that every aspect of schools policy - from how and when to test, to the multitude of bodies that help deliver the service - must be looked at anew.

A good place to start is Education Scotland, which has the dual function of shaping the curriculum and inspecting the schools that have to adhere to it.

In theory, an inspectorate’s role is simple: go into schools, without fear or favour, and provide information on performance that can be accessed by parents.

However, a shake-up of the system by Education Scotland could be bad news for parents who want basic details of their children’s schooling.

In the previous system, standards in schools were marked according to a six-point grading system that was easy to understand.

This regime has been retained for “full inspections”, but it is unclear whether three additional types of inspection will include this level of detail.

The background to this row is that opposition parties rightly criticised Education Scotland for reducing the number of inspections in schools.

Now it seems there is a chance some of the inspections will not equip parents with the knowledge they deserve from a service vital to their children’s life chances.

Education Scotland’s dual roles not only amount to a conflict of interest, but it also serves as a distraction. This organisation must be responsible for inspections and nothing else.