Scottish Government ministers earlier this year boasted that they spend significantly more per head of population on education than elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
But this week it has emerged that - despite this extra spending - Scotland is now lagging behind other parts of the United Kingdom in science, maths and reading.
Shadow education secretary Liz Smith said today the lesson the Scottish Government should take from this is that reform must accompany funding if standards are to increase in Scotland.
The Scottish Conservatives last week said that Scottish Government education agencies, including Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Agency, were no longer seen as “fit for purpose”.
The spending figures come from a Parliamentary Question asked by an SNP backbencher in March.
The SNP claimed that spending on primary and secondary pupils was £4814 and £6790 per pupil – and pointed to Institute for Fiscal Studies work which put similar figures for England at £4500 and £6000.
Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary Liz Smith said:
"The SNP boasts about the extra cash it spends on education in Scotland, but the truth is under both the SNP and Labour before, parents and pupils aren’t getting bang for their buck.
“Money has gone in, but results have fallen.
“This demonstrates the real problem we face.
“It is a total failure of leadership from ministers, educational leaders and government agencies.
“Between them, they have wasted money, squandered the powers of devolution and let parents, pupils and teachers down.
"We have been calling for fundamental reform of Scotland's education for years - and there can no longer be any doubt that action must be taken.
"It starts by recognising that the Scottish Government agencies which are supposed to oversee our education system are not fit for purpose.
"We currently have the crazy situation where our main education agency is marking its own homework - setting education policy and then carrying out inspections.
“This disastrous move - pushed forward by Mike Russell - must end.
"Meanwhile, the SQA has lost confidence of teachers across Scotland. John Swinney must step in now and demand immediate reform.”