One of the principles underpinning the move to the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scottish schools is providing a broader education for young people.

As part of this process, secondary school pupils will delay by a year the all-important decision on which subjects to study further, whether for the new National Qualifications or at Higher level.

Until now that choice has been made at the end of second year. Those currently in second year will continue with all subjects until the end of third year and be the first to gain qualifications through the new curriculum from 2013-2014. Except in East Renfrewshire. The council has decided to retain its version of the existing system, channelling pupils to Highers through the Intermediate exams. These will run parallel until the new system is embedded.

As a consequence East Renfrewshire pupils will choose the subjects they study further at the end of second year, unlike those in the rest of the country who will do so a year later. This will cause particular problems for any children currently in second year whose families move to or from East Renfrewshire.

The Scottish Government has previously agreed that a subject department, but not a whole school, could delay the introduction of National Qualifications 4 and 5 for a year in exceptional circumstances. The stance by East Renfrewshire in implementing a year's delay across the board therefore amounts to a challenge to the Education Secretary Michael Russell. It is significant because East Renfrewshire regularly tops the tables for exam results and other authorities may follow its lead if they fear the new system will produce poorer Highers results.

More generally, the move potentially undermines the intention behind CfE of broadening education and, additionally, ensuring the curriculum is flexible enough to be appropriate for all pupils across the whole range of ability. It is that flexibility in the exam structure that has been particularly contentious, with a fear that it could lead to a two-tier system with little value attached to internally assessed qualifications.

In England, the removal of a considerable number of vocational subjects from the qualifications which count towards a school's league table performance is a warning of the negative effect on an overly prescriptive system that sets too much store by raw results. By contrast, the flexibility of CfE should enable comprehensive schools to fulfil the ideal of education for all.

Nevertheless, the decree by East Renfrewshire that its schools will adhere to the current system is the latest manifestation of continuing concerns about the implementation of the new curriculum. These must be addressed. They include worries that bright pupils who sit some Highers in fourth year could lose out when applying to universities which prefer candidates with five Highers in a year.

If the benefits of tailoring the curriculum better to the needs of pupils are to be realised, it is essential that by the time today's second year pupils reach that stage, the implications of reform will be reflected in university entrance requirements. More urgently, schools, local authorities and the Scottish Government must also be prepared to consider further adjustments to ensure a smooth transition to CfE that caters for the needs of young people educated in the comprehensive system.