Major change to GCSE exam results as smartphone app to be rolled out to Year 11s

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: ‘No student should have to rifle through drawers looking for a crumpled certificate when they’re preparing for a job interview’

Every year 11 student in England will be able to access their GCSE exam results via a digital app from this summer.

Pupils will continue to go to schools on results day to get their grades and meet teachers face-to-face. Their results will then be made available on the “Education Record” app.

The change will make it easier for youngsters to apply to post-16 education or employment without having to rely on paper certificates.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “No student should have to rifle through drawers looking for a crumpled certificate when they’re preparing for a job interview. This app will give young people instant access to their results whenever they need them while freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork.”

The app will also include other information about students, such as whether they have special educational needs and disabilities (Send), or qualify for free school meals. When students go on to enrol at college, they will be able to scan a QR code to share their information with the college automatically.

READ MORE: Parents given answer after 125,000 people demand school week is cut to four days

The Department for Education said the app is estimated to save schools and colleges up to £30million per year in administrative costs once the full rollout is complete. It follows a pilot last summer involving thousands of young people in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

General Secretary of NAHT union Paul Whiteman said: “Providing students with a digital education record is a sensible development and expanding this programme to a national pilot, following the successful smaller ones, is a positive step.

“The potential to include post-16 qualifications in the future will make the record an even more useful tool for students to support their transitions to further education, training and employment.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is a sensible move to use digital technology to simplify the transition to post-16 education for everyone involved.

“Young people work so hard to obtain their GCSE results, it is important that they have a secure and accessible record of their achievements as they move through the education system.

“We are sure that school and college leaders will also welcome the administrative savings made possible as a result of this change, although this will only amount to a drop in the ocean compared to the funding pressures they remain under.”

Director of Education Policy at the Association of Colleges, Cath Sezen, said: “Giving colleges access to key data will ensure that transitions are smoother for students; instead of repeating basic information time and time again, conversations can focus on finding the appropriate course to support their career aims, and settling into life at college.

“The Education Record also has the potential to cut down on admin time and costs during the busy enrolment period which means that more time can be spent on making sure students have the best start to their post-16 pathways.’’