Thousands to obtain GCSE outcomes by way of app in pilot scheme | EUROtoday

Thousands of scholars will obtain their GCSE examination outcomes by way of an app this summer season as a part of a pilot scheme to deliver data into the twenty first century.

More than 95,000 Year 11 pupils throughout Greater Manchester and the West Midlands would be the first to obtain their outcomes by way of the app, paving the best way for a nationwide rollout.

Digital training data, which can consolidate college students’ examination outcomes and certificates, will likely be trialled to assist streamline purposes for additional training (FE), apprenticeships or employment.

The Government tasks the roll-out may save faculties and schools as much as £30 million yearly as soon as absolutely applied, equal to the salaries of greater than 600 new academics in FE.

The announcement comes as tens of hundreds of pupils are resulting from begin their GCSE and A-level exams over the subsequent few weeks.

The Education Record app may sit within the new gov.uk pockets being rolled out by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology sooner or later.

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Education Minister Stephen Morgan stated the pilot “will allow schools and colleges to focus on what they do best: teaching the next generation rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy”.

“This government is slashing red tape through our Plan for Change to drive growth, cut admin for teachers and give tens of thousands of young people more opportunities to get on in skilled careers.”

This week, Mr Morgan visited Hathershaw College, a secondary college in Oldham, which has been trialling the app since spring 2024.

Following the success of the localised trial, the Department for Education is scaling up the roll-out.

Mark Giles, principal at Hathershaw College, stated the training file was “accurate, verifiable and could be presented to providers without delay”.

“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.”

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James Bowen, assistant normal secretary on the college leaders’ union NAHT, stated it makes “a lot of sense to look into modernising how exam results are handled and 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.

“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.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, normal secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, stated the app represents a “positive step forward in making greater use of digital technology in education and will bring benefits to students, schools and colleges”.

“Up until now, the development of education technology has tended to take place in a frustratingly piecemeal fashion – essentially led by the market rather than via a cohesive national approach.

“We would like to see a much more strategic vision. This should extend to exams themselves which continue to be largely conducted via pen and paper, creating a massive burden in terms of secure storage and transportation of papers and scripts.

“A digital exam system would improve matters for everyone involved and we urge the Government to invest in creating the infrastructure schools and colleges need to make this a reality.”