Senior councillors from across the country will meet on Thursday to discuss the Scottish Government's planned reforms to education.

Education secretary John Swinney has said closing the attainment gap between the richest and poorest pupils will be the government's priority.

Local government umbrella group Cosla, which has 28 of Scotland's 32 local authorities as members, will debate how the gap can be closed within their schools.

The talks will likely focus on the implications of the Scottish Government's changes to the highest council tax bands and the projected extra revenues it will generate.

A projected £100m will be raised from the alterations and Swinney wants council bodies to direct the funds to head teachers who will then spend it directly in schools to close the attainment gap.

Some figures in Cosla want to retain local government autonomy over education and be free to set education budgets.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, a group of senior public intellectuals, has welcomed the principles of the government's education reforms but expressed "serious reservations" over aspects of its introduction.

The body has called for the education secretary to draw up a detailed timetable for the changes.

Swinney was appointed to the role of education secretary shortly after May's Holyrood election.

In April, the First Minister said: "The goal of the SNP will be to substantially close the attainment gap in the next parliament and to eliminate it within a decade.

"I have set out ambitious proposals to ensure that every child has the chance to succeed in life - and if re-elected as First Minister I will ask to be judged on my success in achieving this."