{"id":246492,"date":"2026-05-14T23:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=246492"},"modified":"2026-05-14T23:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:07:46","slug":"pupils-can-bring-phones-to-school-to-use-gcse-results-app-dfe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/pupils-can-bring-phones-to-school-to-use-gcse-results-app-dfe\/","title":{"rendered":"Pupils CAN bring phones to school to use GCSE results app – DfE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pupils using a new app to view their GCSE results can bring their phone into school, government has clarified, after criticism of a \u201clack of alignment\u201d with the soon-to-be statutory phone \u201cban\u201d guidance.<\/p>\n

The \u201ceducation record\u201d<\/a> app will be rolled out nationwide this summer<\/a>, giving schools, colleges and year 11 students the option to view their results digitally.<\/p>\n

If they choose to take part, pupils will have to scan a personal QR code on the mobile app ahead of results day to access their results, according to government guidance.<\/p>\n

But their teachers will have to provide them with the QR code in school to verify their identity in person.<\/p>\n

This means pupils must have their mobile phones with them on the day of issuing, despite ministers moving to ban them in schools.<\/p>\n

Tom Middlehurst, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, raised the conflict issue during an education committee event on screen time.<\/p>\n

He said the education secretary Bridget Phillipson had written to headteachers in January saying they should take note of the guidance on phones in school.<\/p>\n

But on the same day the Department for Education put on webinars about the new exams app which stated pupils would have to scan QR codes in school.<\/p>\n

‘Lack of alignment’<\/h2>\n

Middlehurst warned: \u201cThere is a lack of alignment within the same department and between the government. That, in itself, creates confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked for clarification, a DfE spokesperson told Schools Week<\/em> the app would be \u201ca one-off, short activity at the end of year 11\u201d.<\/p>\n

They said:\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>Our position on mobile phones in schools hasn\u2019t changed \u2013 we’re very clear that they have no place in our schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the education record app is different \u2013 it’s not about day-to-day phone use \u2013 it’s a one-off, short activity at the end of year 11, taking just a few minutes to issue their record.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pepe Di’Iasio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is about giving young people a smooth transition into adult life, putting their data in their hands so they can take the next step into work, training, or further education.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teacher has to sit with the pupil, select their name from the pupil list, confirm that the name on the list matches the pupil they are sitting with, and then generate a QR code for the pupil to scan.<\/p>\n

Pepe\u00a0Di\u2019Iasio, general secretary of ASCL, said the DfE \u201chas clarified that school leaders can implement a mobile phone policy that works best for their context, within the parameters of the existing guidance\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added that the clarity is \u201cis welcome\u201d and that school leaders should \u201cretain the right to decide what approach is most appropriate for their setting\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ban guidance on statutory footing<\/h2>\n

The children\u2019s wellbeing and schools act will put existing guidance<\/a> \u2013 which encourages schools to introduce phone bans \u2013 on a statutory footing.<\/p>\n

At the time a DfE spokesperson said the amendment will give \u201clegal force to what schools are already doing in practice\u201d.<\/p>\n

Education minister Jacqui Smith said it means the guidance \u201cmust be followed unless there is a legally justifiable reason for schools not to do so\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ofsted also considers schools\u2019 mobile phone policies as part of inspection.<\/p>\n

The app was piloted last summer, but only 28 schools and colleges took part despite 487 being invited.<\/p>\n

An FOI sent by\u00a0Schools Week<\/em> asking for evaluation of the scheme found schools were able to deploy the app quickly, and were able to do so independently with minimal support.<\/p>\n

But it added that schools had challenges in answering pupils\u2019 questions about the app, and they needed \u201cclearer messaging on its purpose and value\u201d.<\/p>\n

The DfE estimates it costs about \u00a31 million a year to run the app, based on staff, systems used to store and manage data and software licences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clarification follows criticism of a ‘lack of alignment’ with soon-to-be statutory phone ‘ban’ guidance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":316072,"featured_media":246300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[224,155],"post-theme":[2345],"class_list":["post-246492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-exams","tag-gcses","post-theme-assessment"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t