New GCSE results app to be rolled out nationwide

School leavers will be able to prove their GCSE results to post-16 settings and employers on a government app on their phones from this summer.

The “education record” app is being rolled out nationally after a pilot in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands last year, where only six per cent of invited settings took part.

If taken up nationwide, ministers believe it could save schools and colleges up to £30 million in administration costs, including by eliminating photocopying of documents and reducing manual data entry. 

Year 11 pupils will still go into school on results day to meet face-to-face with their teachers and receive their grades, which will later be available on the app. They can then present and share their results digitally with their post-16 setting.

If schools choose to sign up, they will have to link pupils’ data to their mobile devices. The Department for Education populates the records.

While only available for GCSEs, they will get A Level and other qualifications updated in the Learner Record Service in future.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith said no student “should have to rifle through drawers looking for a crumpled certificate when 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.”

Only 29 schools took part in regional pilot

When launching the pilot earlier this year, DfE said more than 95,000 young people would get their results via the app. A total of 487 schools and colleges were invited. 

But only 29 schools took up the offer, meaning the pilot only involved about 4,000 pupils. The DfE said it was run on an optional basis, and it was not mandatory for schools or pupils to take part. 

DfE said it will remain optional this year before they “reflect on findings to look at next steps” for the record. 

Schools and colleges will also be able to easily access information on “which students need extra support, including whether they need to continue working towards English and maths GCSEs, have SEND requirements or qualify for free school meals”.

The £30 million cost saving is based on the number of 16 and 17 year old students and the number of courses studied in 2023-24 and 2024-25. They assumed cost estimates of £10 per learner and £10 per course.

Photocopying could be ditched

“Extensive user research” with colleges identified enrolment activities that could be stopped or reduced as a result.

This included getting rid of photocopying of documentation and the manual process of matching emails with applications. 

It could also reduce manual data entry and delays linked to pupils not having the correct documentation. 

The savings assume that nearly all young people moving from a school into FE and apprenticeships would use the app to enrol at a new setting.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the move as well as retaining the face-to-face option as it “not only allows them to celebrate with peers and teachers, but also to receive any advice or support they may require regarding next steps”.

He added: “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.”

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