More than 95,000 young people in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will receive their GCSE results via a digital app this summer, ahead of the app’s future national roll out.

The new Education Record App will also help to do away with paper records and files, bringing their exam certificates into one easy-to-access digital hub which can be used when applying for further education, apprenticeships, or employment.

The UK Government estimates the move could save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year once the full roll out of the app is complete—enough money to pay the salaries of more than 600 new teachers in further education.

“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,” said Stephen Morgan, UK education minister.

“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.”

Morgan visited the Hathershaw College school in Oldham earlier this week, which has been trialling the Education Record app since spring 2024. Following the success of the localised roll out, the Department for Education is scaling up the roll out.

Mark Giles, principal at the school, said: “We were proud to support the DfE last summer with the initial trial.

“The support from the DfE was excellent and the 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.”

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The digital transformation of exam results and records is part of a wider government drive to overhaul how the public sector uses technology.

The march to modernise public services is being led by UK technology secretary Peter Kyle, who has launched his department as the digital centre of government to overhaul digital services and target £45 billion in productivity savings each year.