A major report on the roll-out of Curriculum for Excellence will be failing pupils if it is too soft on Scotland's school standards body and its national exams agency, according to a senior politician.

Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said he hoped the landmark review by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is due to be published on Monday, would lead to significant change.

And he insisted real improvement would not be achieved without reform of Education Scotland (ES) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

However, a spokesman for Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, who has announced a review of the two agencies, accused the Lib Dems of "posturing".

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Mr Rennie said: "The OECD report will need to recommend radical reform of Scotland's education system if it is to repair years of neglect under the SNP.

"That needs to start with reforming the SQA and Education Scotland. We have had two successive exam scandals and fifteen years of failure. It's time to turn the page and put teachers back in charge. 

"Successive SNP education secretaries have produced reports and consultations but little progress.

"This independent report must be the impetus for real change. It will be a failed exercise if it leaves these organisations intact." 

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He added: "[Former education secretary] John Swinney told parliament he would be happy to discuss the possibility of an interim report with the OECD. Instead he did nothing, despite knowing that drafts were already going back and forth between ministers and the report’s authors. 

“Given that ministers had months to provide comments on the draft report before teachers and pupils were allowed to look at it, there is already a risk that this report is tarnished. 

“Scottish education will be badly served if the report that is finally delivered on Monday has SNP ministers' fingerprints all over it.” 

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A spokesman for Ms Somerville said: “Having called for an independent review from the OECD, the Lib Dems are now trying to dictate its findings. They clearly have no interest in actually improving education and simply want to weaponise pupils’ education.

“Fortunately, the OECD understand that their task is to rise above such silly political posturing and assess Scottish education without fear or favour.”

The SQA and Education Scotland declined to comment.