Exam boards snub electronic database of pupils' results

A NEW database listing the school records of every teenager in the country has run into trouble, threatening to scupper the Government's exam reforms.

Pupils will be numbered for life and entered on an electronic register containing their exam results and qualifications.

But exam boards have so little confidence in the project that they are refusing to sign up, according to documents seen by the Evening Standard.

The Learner Registration Service creates a 10-digit "unique learner number" for pupils over the age of 14. It is essential for keeping track of teenagers taking the Government's new diplomas because the courses are so complicated and involve studying at school, college and in the workplace.

Emergency measures had to be set up for the 12,000 teenagers who were the first in England to begin diploma courses this term.

Exam boards offering diplomas in subjects such as media, IT and engineering refused to commit to the service, and employers say they would prefer to keep A-levels, which they know and understand.