19 October 2026

How to share DfE education record

Follow this procedure when EBS finds your DfE education record during an online application.

Before you begin

Make sure that:

  • You can access the DfE Education Record app.

  • You are ready to enter the share code within five minutes.

  • You do not need to start the share-code request yourself. EBS requests the code automatically after it confirms that you have a DfE education record.

Share your record

Share your record as follows:

  1. Complete the DfE education record check in your online application.

  2. When EBS finds your record, the pop-up updates automatically. It confirms that a notification is being sent to the DfE Education Record app and displays an In progress indicator while EBS requests your share code.

  3. Wait for the six-digit share code to appear.

  4. You can select Cancel if you do not want to continue. EBS ends the active request and returns you to your application.

  5. When the share code appears, check the countdown. Note that the code is valid for five minutes and is read-only in EBS.

  6. Open the DfE Education Record app. The app sends you a notification asking you to respond to the share request.

  7. Enter the six-digit share code in the DfE Education Record app.

  8. Follow the instructions in the app to confirm that you give permission to share your education record with your college or institution.

  9. Return to your application in Ontrack Learner Hub and select Next.

  10. Your application continues to the step that retrieves your education record details from DfE.

Confirm the share code in the DfE Education Record app before you select Next. EBS does not prevent you from continuing before you have confirmed the code.

If your share code expires

If you do not use the code within five minutes, EBS tells you that it has expired and asks whether you want to request another one.

To request a new code:

  1. Select Yes.

  2. Wait while EBS requests another code.

  3. When the new code appears, open the DfE Education Record app.

  4. Enter the new code before the new five-minute countdown ends.

  5. Confirm that you give permission to share your education record.

  6. Return to your application in Ontrack Learner Hub.

  7. Select Next.

You can request another code each time a code expires. There is no limit for expired-code requests. To stop instead, select Cancel. EBS ends the active request and returns you to your application.

If EBS cannot retrieve a code

If the DfE service does not respond within five minutes or returns an error, EBS tells you that it could not retrieve a code.

To try again:

  1. Select Yes.

  2. Wait while EBS requests another code.

  3. If the code appears, open the DfE Education Record app.

  4. Enter the six-digit code and confirm that you give permission to share your education record.

  5. Return to your application in Ontrack Learner Hub and select Next.

You can retry an unsuccessful request up to three times. If the third retry is unsuccessful, the Yes option is no longer available. Select Cancel to end the request and return to your application.

Expected result

After you confirm the share code in the DfE Education Record app and select Next, your application continues to the step that retrieves your education record details from DfE.