Schools pilot exam results app that could save £30m

Thousands of students will receive exam results digitally this summer, as part of a government plan that could cut bureaucracy in education and save £30m a year.

The pilot is part of a wider government plan for the public sector to save £45bn in productivity each year through the use of digital technology.

The modernised “education record” to be introduced by the Department for Education (DfE) will mean paper files are no longer manually passed on to students. All paperwork will move to an education record app, which will be used when students apply for further education, apprenticeships or employment.

The app has already been trialled at selected schools, but the wider pilot will see thousands of students connected.

The education record app will contain the pupil’s name, date of birth and address, schools they have attended, official qualifications like GCSEs and A-levels, and any support needs.

Savings will also be made by providing results to students via the app. More than 95,000 young people in the Greater Manchester and West Midlands regions will receive their GCSE results via the app this summer, ahead of a planned national roll-out.

Results will be made available on the app at 11.00am on GCSE results day, Thursday 21 August, although pupils will still be able to go to school to collect them.

The DfE said it expects savings of about £30m a year, which is equivalent to the sum required to pay the salaries of more than 600 new teachers in further education.

Education minister Stephen Morgan said the pilot would “allow schools and colleges to focus on what they do best – teaching the next generation – rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy”.

The digital education records created will also make it quicker and easier for students to apply and enrol at sixth form, college or a training provider, according to the government, by enabling them to “share information digitally rather than having to take paper copies of information like their qualifications with them when they enrol”.

The government added that digital education records will enable pupil information to be passed on faster and provide additional information about any support a pupil might require.

Mark Giles, principal at The Hathershaw College, which has been trialling the education record app since spring 2024, said: “We believe this will reduce administrative burdens on schools and, in the future, could also be utilised by parents of younger children to support transition from primary to secondary school.”

He added: “Feedback from students and staff was very positive as the education record was accurate, verifiable and could be presented to providers without delay.”

James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said any moves to cut bureaucracy and costs are welcome. “It is vital that any changes work for schools and colleges, as well as pupils, at what is always a busy, pressurised time for school leaders and their staff,” he added.

“We are therefore pleased that the app is being piloted, and it is important that this is done carefully, with seamless support for students and schools should any issues arise, and swift action to learn lessons from these. When we are dealing with something as important as exam results, it is crucial that the government gets this absolutely right.”

The expected £30m savings will support the government’s plan to use technology to make £45bn in productivity savings every year, led by technology secretary Peter Kyle.