IMING for higher standards and levels of achievement in education - and closing the attainment gap - are not just new year resolutions, but are at the heart of everything I do as Minister for Education and Young People.

I have inherited responsibility for an education service that is moving in the right direction. Over the past year the Scottish Executive has tackled a number of immediate and important issues, and progress has been made in driving up the quality of school education. There is a great deal of good work going on in Scotland’s schools, and the service is delivering a high quality education for most of our young people. I am keen that we should continue to build on current good practice and celebrate success. However, I recognise there is much work still to do.

For teachers, schools and education authorities to do their best for children, they need stability. That might sound a little ironic coming from the fifth Education Minister in as many years but it is the commitment of my predecessors that has helped bring us to the base we are working from today.

The stability we are providing through the partnership with teachers forged through last year’s historic settlement on pay and conditions; the development of a schools improvement framework; the joint action plan I launched in December on improving discipline in schools; and other important work in progress. But the time is right to take stock and consider what we ultimately want from our education system in years to come.

My predecessor, Jack McConnell, talked often of his desire to hold a national debate on the future of school education. I am determined to have that debate and recently announced there would be an inclusive dialogue with pupils, parents, teachers, employers and everyone else with an interest in delivering for our children. As well as acknowledging and celebrating the many positive aspects of Scottish education, it is important to have a frank discussion of the difficult issues facing young people and their schools, and to look at ways to tackle these issues in partnership with everyone who has an interest.

The world is a constantly changing place, and I want to make sure that our schools offer all our children and young people a welcoming and productive learning environment which is fit for the 21st century, and which offers them all the opportunities they need to get on in life and realise their full potential.

My officials are working on ways to give everyone an opportunity to take part in the debate, and hence an opportunity to help shape the strategy for school education in the future. Clearly the key national education organisations will have an important role to play. However, I want this debate to include those who are not traditionally involved in government consultation - and whose views are often unheard. We’ll do that through different types of events organised within and beyond the education community in order to reach as many people as possible. I have asked my officials to work closely with these bodies to ensure a genuinely inclusive exercise.

So I would expect to see, for example, voluntary and community groups part-icipating in the debate by holding a meeting or event of some sort to give all those involved the right kind of opportunity to put forward their views. I am particularly keen that the voices of young people are heard. I want to make it more difficult for people to avoid the debate than to take part in it - this issue is too important to be left only to politicians.

The education, culture and sport committee of the Scottish Parliament has launched its own investigation into the purpose of education. So as well as working towards creating a shared vision for the future of education, this debate is an opportunity to create more links between the Parliament and the people of Scotland.

he debate will start in March and run in two main stages: an initial round of consultation from March to June or July, followed by a period to reflect views from the first stage and consider an action plan up to the end of the year. A vision and strategy document would be published early next year to set out where we are going in Scottish education for the foreseeable future.

It is important to build a national consensus on education, but we should not compromise on helping every individual learner to achieve the best they can. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of so many people, our education system already has a lot of successes to be proud of. But we can only build on these successes if we are prepared to stretch ourselves. We must be prepared to ask challenging questions from the outset, and to listen to a variety of views from different walks of life.

I want to see the most effective approaches to learning and teaching recognised and celebrated nationally, and to encourage others to build on this good practice, improve it, and inspire people to develop ideas of their own.

By creating a vision and strategy for the future which strives to give every child the best possible start in life, teachers, schools and education authorities can drive the changes to achieve this vital goal whatever the circumstances. We need to build a genuinely shared vision for securing, through their education experience, the best future and life chances for all our children and young people in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson is Minister for Education and Young People.