Education secretary John Swinney will issue teachers with new guidance on the curriculum after the original deadline was missed.

In June, Swinney pledged in the Scottish Parliament to provide teachers with a "basic framework" for which they could teach in "confidence" to help close the attainment gap between the richest and poorest students.

Swinney said: "We will put in place clear and simple statements that give teachers confidence about what curriculum for excellence does and does not expect of them.

"We will declutter the curriculum and strip away anything that creates unnecessary workload for teachers and learners.

"I have instructed Education Scotland to prepare and publish a clear and concise statement of the basic framework within which teachers teach, which will be published in time for the new school session in August."

STV News revealed earlier this month that the guidance had not been delivered as promised by the education secretary to the country's 48,000 teachers.

Glasgow City Council, the country's largest local authority, confirmed it had not received the framework and did not know when it was due to be published.

The guidelines will be issued on Monday and may help reduce teachers' workload as well as set highlight the importance of literacy and numeracy. Advice on testing and planning for teachers will also be included.

Swinney previously came under fire for the delay. Scottish Labour said it is a sign his changes to education are already behind schedule.

The party's education spokesman Iain Gray said: "Whilst the First Minister is posing for photos at schools her flagship education plan is already behind schedule.

"Teachers were promised concise and clear guidelines to declutter the curriculum and clarify what is expected on them especially when it comes to teaching literacy and numeracy.

"Teachers were promised this for going back to work but the wheels have already come off that plan with the SNP now promising it by the end of the month, long after schools have come back and when teachers will be well on with lesson planning.

"If the SNP are going to make promises to teachers and parents they need to keep them."

The Scottish Conservatives said the SNP is "failure" in education is due to the party's "obsession" with independence.

Shadow education secretary Liz Smith said: "After nine years in charge, and two weeks after some schools have gone back after the summer break, John Swinney is finally issuing guidance on how to implement the curriculum.

"The jury is out on the SNP's reforms to curriculum for excellence and nobody will blame parents if they have lost patience with the way it has been handled.

"Currently, they see lots of warm words about improving curriculum for excellence but no sign of improving educational standards across the board.

"The SNP's failure to get to grips with our education system is yet another example of a government which has forgotten the day job because of its obsession with independence.

"It is time the SNP got back to focusing on what matters, not another referendum."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are determined that this guidance will provide an emphatic statement of priorities for Scotland's schools that addresses all of the relevant issues and provides the clarity that teachers need.

"To ensure that it is delivered we are consulting widely across the teaching profession."

Swinney was installed as education secretary in Nicola Sturgeon's first cabinet reshuffle following May's Holyrood election.