During the recent Holyrood election, the SNP put improving Scotland's education system at heart of its programme for government.

The shocking gap in attainment between the poorest children and their wealthier peers is the most pressing issue of all, and new Education Secretary John Swinney has made clear he is determined to close it.

Yesterday we got the first concrete details of how he intends to do this. The plans are certainly radical, with a transfer of both power and responsibility. New legislation next year will see schools held directly responsible for the education of pupils for the first time. Currently, only councils are under a duty to educate pupils to their "fullest potential".

Meanwhile, millions of pounds of funding currently channelled through local authorities will be given directly to headteachers to allow for key decisions to be made at school level. And a new national formula will be established to provide a universal standard for staff numbers.

In addition, Mr Swinney has said he will launch a review of the way schools are run, which will examine the changes required to "empower schools" and "decentralise management" with the setting up of potentially controversial educational regions for the first time.

The direction of travel of these proposals certainly signals a bold new approach. Improvements are needed throughout our education system, and making schools one of the key drivers of change is critical to success.

The needs of individual pupils are best known by their teachers and headteachers, and more autonomy could enable schools to concentrate on the improvements that will benefit their specific youngsters, for example literacy in a school in a deprived area, or, in the case of over-subscribed high-achieving schools, perhaps extra teachers to cut down on class sizes. Primary schools, on the other hand, may wish to invest more in early years’ education. These plans should make such flexibility possible. That’s not to say there aren’t pertinent questions around how this will work on the ground.

Headteachers already have huge responsibilities across a number of areas – support must be put in place to ensure they are ready for these extra liabilities.

It will also be important to make sure no school loses out on funding under the new system.

The creation of educational regions to harness the expertise of schools, colleges, universities and employers is also worth consideration, but may provoke a bitter turf war if seen as undermining the work of democratically-elected councils which still have the support of teaching unions.