The Liberal Democrats are set to conduct a radical overhaul of its education policies.

Education spokesman Phil Willis announced that professor John Howson, an educational academic, is to examine the party's policy to ensure it would deliver quality education for every child.

Accusing the government of over-centralised policies which ignore local or regional involvement, Willis said "we have to offer credible alternatives to Labour's agenda".

The Howson review is to feed its findings into the overall party review of public services being led by the MEP Chris Hume.

Willis' aim is to ensure that party policy is "child focused" and addresses the problems of social exclusion. The review will look at how party policy needs to be overhauled in light of changes to the need and structures of the education system.

"As a party, we have not had a radical re-think of education policy since 1992," Willis told conference delegates.

"Liberal Democrat policies have served us well. We've fought, and we've won, the argument about funding public services, even if it means raisingtaxes. But given the direction that Labour is now taking, we find ourselves at a crossroads. We have been the conscience of successive governments, but it is time to move forward, to build on our achievements," said Willis.

The key aim, said Willis, would be "local solutions for local children". He said the principles of unity, fairness and creativity would be paramount.

Pointing to rioting in the UK, and events in America and the Middle East, Willis argued that "the importance of education is clear for all".

He also used his speech to attack Labour for the highest secondary class sizes for a generation and for spending a lower proportion of GDP oneducation than John Major's government did.