LAST week I set out my determination to make sure that Scotland can genuinely lay claim to be the best place in the world to be educated - for everyone, regardless of background.

There is no doubt that Scotland has a proud educational tradition.

We pioneered the idea of universal access to school education in the 17th and 18th centuries and ever since then a commitment to education has been part of our identity - part of who we are.

But though we should be proud of our history, there is no room to rest on our laurels.

It's time to make sure that our educational traditions are refreshed and renewed for the modern age so that they become, not just symbols of our past, but the hallmark of our future as a successful, dynamic country.

After all, excellence in education is essential to our prosperity, competitiveness, wellbeing and to our overall success as a nation.

The good news is that despite the undoubted challenges that we face, Scotland’s schools are a success story.

The last eight years have, of course, been tough – the recession, and the deep public spending cuts which followed, have created pressures for the Scottish Government, for local government and for many families. But the fact remains that education in Scotland has made progress.

The introduction of curriculum for excellence has been a big step forward – and one which is attracting international attention. It gives teachers more flexibility, provides a broader education for young people, and sets higher standards for achievement than ever before.

We have also seen substantial investment in the fabric of our schools.

Since 2007, 520 schools have been rebuilt or refurbished.

That amounts to more than one fifth of all school premises in the country being upgraded, making sure children are learning in modern surroundings - and it’s 200 more than in the previous eight years

We’ve also provided extra funding to maintain teacher numbers.

And while there is still more to do, class sizes in primary one have fallen - in 2006, more than 15,000 primary one children were in classes of more than 25.

Now, that figure is below 500.

As a result of this investment and improvement, we are seeing better outcomes than ever before.

School leaver destinations are the best on record. Of the students who left school last year, more than nine out of 10 were in employment, education or training nine months later.

And three weeks ago, young people in Scotland gained a record number of passes at Higher and Advanced Higher.

So there is a great deal to be positive and optimistic about.

But for all of these successes, it is also true that big and significant challenges remain. We have seen some recent evidence giving cause for concern around standards of literacy and numeracy.

And, in particular, the gap in attainment between those from our most deprived areas and those from our least deprived remains too far wide - an issue that is very close to my heart coming, as I do, from a working class family.

The aim of my government is to close that attainment gap completely.

That's why we have established a £100m Scottish Attainment Challenge, directing extra resources to more than 300 primary schools in our most deprived areas - money that will be spent on extra staff and exploring different ways to improve literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing

It's also why, next week, I will outline a new National Improvement Framework - making clear the standards we expect to be achieved and setting put how we gather the information to tell us where progress is being made and where we need to do more.

To put it simply, my absolute priority as First Minister is to make sure that we give every young person, regardless of their background or family circumstances, the same chances to succeed at school.

They should know that if they have the talent and work hard enough, they will be able to fulfil their potential.

That's a big challenge for schools - teachers, parents and pupils alike - and also for national and local government.

Indeed, it is a big challenge for society as a whole – but it’s one on which I and my government are determined to show leadership.

Because if we can succeed, we’ll do something truly special - we will secure a fairer and more prosperous future, not just for the boys and girls who have started school over the past couple of weeks, but for all young people and for Scotland as a whole.