Exam records go digital as new app is trialled in schools
The government has hailed the trial of a new digital education app which is says could bring exam records ‘into the 21st century’.
The Education Record app is currently being trialled in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, where more than 95,000 pupils will receive their GCSE results via it this summer. As well as digital exam certificates, the app will also contain pupils’ key information. Young people will be able to use the app to share their information with a sixth form, college or training provider. It will then automatically share their unique learner number, date of birth, sex, address, GCSE results, school information, financial and learning support needs.
The Department for Education (DfE) estimates that the app could save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year if rolled out across the country. In total, 487 schools, as well as colleges, have been invited to take part in the pilot, which runs until September this year. A decision about next steps will then be made in the autumn. Mark Giles, Principal at The Hathershaw College, one of the schools involved in the pilot, said that ‘feedback from students and staff was very positive as the education record 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.’
Education minister Stephen Morgan commented: ‘It is high time exam records were brought into the 21st century, and this pilot will allow schools and colleges to focus on what they do best: teaching the next generation rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy.’
However some teachers have sounded a note of caution at the prospect of pupils receiving their exam results purely digitally, away from the in-person support that has traditionally been provided when pupils pick up their results in person. Writing in The Guardian Nadeine Asbali, a secondary school teacher in London, expressed her concern that ‘tempted with the ease of pressing a button at home, pupils would no longer access the wealth of knowledge their teachers and schools can offer them about their futures. Teenagers could be left to fester in their disappointment all summer at home without knowing what to do about it, or fail to make the most of higher-than-expected grades without experienced staff offering them some advice in person. When I think of the poorest students, without the guidance of educated parents well-versed in the system, it feels like this will only widen already growing class divides.’
James Bowen, assistant general secretary at the NAHT, said: ‘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.’
Meanwhile Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the ASCL, welcomed the app as ‘a positive step forward’ but added: ‘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.’