Built for the latest KCSIE & Ofsted requirements
Alternative Provision Management, from Referral to Invoice
ReferralMS connects schools, AP providers and local authorities with one secure system for alternative provision referrals, placements, attendance, safeguarding, compliance and automated invoicing – and lets students and parents follow their journey through AP.
Prefer to explore first? Create a free Starter account
Everything you need to manage alternative provision
Purpose-built for the UK AP sector – from school exclusion referrals to placement, compliance and outcomes.
Referral Management
End-to-end digital AP referrals from schools to providers with real-time status tracking.
Compliance and Safeguarding Records
Track DBS, Section 128 and Right to Work checks, safeguarding concerns and policies, with expiry alerts.
Attendance Tracking
Daily registers with DfE attendance codes, plus “then vs now” comparisons that celebrate improvement.
Progress and Outcomes
Record progress, qualifications and destinations so every placement can show its impact.
Reporting
Dashboards and exports for governors, commissioners and Ofsted inspections.
Audit Trail
Every action timestamped and attributed, giving full accountability for inspections.
Automated Invoicing
Generate invoices from the agreed timetable (scheduled sessions) or from attendance, term-time only, with rate cards, VAT, PO numbers, payment terms, school or council billing and export to Xero.
Placement Reviews and Reintegration
Set up placement programmes with phases, track review meetings and agree reintegration sessions with the school.
School and Parent Portals
Schools see their own pupils’ attendance, progress and concerns. Schools can refer by secure link without an account, and parents get a secure link too.
From school referral to invoice, in one system
Every step of an alternative provision placement is connected, so nothing is typed twice.
- 1
School refers
Secure online referral form or referral link – pupil details, EHCP, risks and needs.
- 2
Provider reviews
Accept or decline, with risk assessment, consent and safeguarding information in one place.
- 3
Placement starts
Agreed timetable, start date and placement programme phases.
- 4
Daily management
Registers with DfE codes, concerns, notes, progress and soft skills.
- 5
School reporting
Schools see attendance and progress live, with alerts and review records.
- 6
Automated invoicing
Invoices built from the timetable or attendance, ready to send or export to Xero.
What makes ReferralMS different
Built around the relationship between AP providers and the schools and local authorities that commission them.
One system for every party
Schools, AP providers, local authorities and parents each get their own secure view of the same placement – not just a provider-only tool.
Referral to invoice, connected
The referral becomes the placement, the placement becomes the timetable, and the timetable becomes the invoice. No re-keying.
Evidence schools need for Ofsted
Who provides the AP, where the pupil attends, their timetable and attendance, safety checks, progress and reviews – ready to show.
Governance for the provider too
Policy register with version history, staff training sign-off, DBS, Section 128 and Right to Work tracking, QA visits and an Ofsted readiness dashboard.
For schools commissioning AP
Built to be trusted by schools
Schools stay responsible for the pupils they place. ReferralMS gives you the cost, the attendance and the safeguarding picture – without chasing the provider.
Know the cost from day one
Funding letters show the projected cost of each placement for the half term, term or year – counting only teaching days, with holidays, inset days and bank holidays left out. Download a PDF for funding approval in one click.
No surprises on the invoice
Invoices are built from the timetable you agreed or from attendance, term-time only, with your PO number. You can review, approve or dispute each one in your own portal.
See your pupils live
Today’s register, who is in, attendance history and attendance alerts for the pupils you have placed – without waiting for a weekly email.
Safeguarding shared with you
Concerns about your pupils are logged and shared with your school, with risk assessments and a full audit trail of who did what and when.
Check a provider before you place
The provider directory shows provider profiles, audit records and badges such as self-certifying centre status, so you can see the evidence before you refer.
Progress, reviews and a way back
Follow progress, qualifications and reports, record placement reviews, and agree reintegration sessions back into school through a secure link.
Refer in minutes
Use your school portal or a provider’s secure referral link – no account needed to send a referral.
Built for trusts too
Multi-academy trusts get a read-only trust overview across their schools’ placements, and each school only ever sees its own pupils.
Who ReferralMS is for
Whether you commission AP, deliver it or are supported by it, ReferralMS is designed with you in mind.
For Schools
Mainstream schools, academies and PRUs
Refer with confidence, know what each placement will cost from day one and see how every pupil you place is doing – live.
- Funding letters with the projected cost, downloadable as a PDF in one click
- Invoices you can check against the agreed timetable – then approve or query
- Live attendance, alerts and safeguarding concerns for your own pupils
- Keep a full audit trail for safeguarding and Ofsted
For AP Providers
Alternative provision, mentoring and SEMH specialists
Manage incoming referrals, availability, daily attendance and compliance evidence from a single dashboard designed for the AP sector.
- Receive and respond to referrals from multiple schools
- Mark daily attendance and share it with commissioning schools
- Track DBS, Section 128 and Right to Work checks for all staff
- Show inspection-ready compliance evidence at any time
For Local Authorities
Commissioners and AP quality assurance teams
Oversee alternative provision across your area, with quality assurance records and reporting across every provider you commission.
- See placements across schools and providers in one place
- Record quality assurance visits and follow-up actions
- Report on attendance, outcomes and compliance
- Spot gaps in safeguarding evidence early
For Parents and Students
Young people in AP and the families supporting them
Progress, attendance and next steps in one place, so families and young people always know where they stand.
- A secure parent link to see attendance and progress
- Good news shared with home when a young person does well
- Attendance “then vs now” so improvements are easy to see
- Data handled safely and securely
Alternative provision compliance, built in
Every feature is designed around the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance and the Ofsted inspection framework. From DBS tracking to audit trails, ReferralMS helps you demonstrate compliance – not just claim it.
KCSIE ready
Built to meet the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance.
Ofsted ready
Reports, audit trails and safeguarding logs ready for inspection at any time.
Data protection
Organisations can only ever see their own data, in line with UK GDPR.
The placement evidence Ofsted expects schools to show
- Who provides the alternative education: Provider directory profiles and staff compliance records.
- Where pupils attend: Placements linked to the provider and its provisions.
- Timetables and attendance: Agreed timetables and daily registers with DfE codes, shared with the school.
- Safeguarding and suitability checks: Concerns log, risk assessments, DBS, Section 128 and Right to Work tracking.
- Progress against placement objectives: Progress, qualifications, soft skills and student reports.
- Regular placement reviews: Placement programmes with review meetings recorded and tracked.
On the roadmap
Works without an MIS connection today
Schools refer through the secure online form or referral link and see attendance and progress in their own portal, so no MIS connection is needed to get started. Direct MIS integration is in development, with planned support via Wonde for SIMS, Arbor, Bromcom, ScholarPack, iSAMS and RM Integris.
Auto-sync pupil data
Pull demographics, UPN, SEN status and contacts straight from the MIS.
Two-way attendance sync
AP attendance marks written back to the school register automatically.
Area-wide deployment
Connect every school in a local authority and manage AP placements across the area.
Alternative provision in Leicester and Leicestershire
ReferralMS is used by schools and AP providers across Leicester and Leicestershire to manage referrals, attendance and safeguarding.
AP in Leicester and LeicestershireFrequently asked questions
Does ReferralMS do automated invoicing?
Yes. AP providers can generate invoices automatically from the agreed timetable (scheduled sessions) or from billable attendance. Invoices only count term-time days, use your rate card, and support VAT, purchase order numbers, payment terms, billing the school or the council, payment tracking and export to Xero.
Can schools see what an alternative provision placement will cost?
Yes. Schools can download a funding letter (proof of finance) showing the projected cost of each pupil’s placement for the half term, term or year, based on the agreed timetable and the provider’s rates, counting teaching days only. It is a projection, not an invoice. When invoices arrive, schools can review, approve or dispute them in their portal.
Can schools refer without creating an account?
Yes. Schools can submit a referral through a secure referral link without an account, or use their own school portal to track every pupil they place.
Who is ReferralMS for?
AP providers, mainstream schools and academies, local authorities and the parents and young people they support. Each organisation only ever sees its own information.
Does ReferralMS help with Ofsted and KCSIE?
Yes. It records the evidence schools and providers are asked for: who provides the AP, where pupils attend, timetables, attendance, safeguarding and suitability checks, progress and placement reviews. It records evidence – it does not replace registration as an independent school where that is legally required.
Does ReferralMS connect to school MIS systems?
Direct MIS integration is in development. Today, schools refer through the secure online form or link and see attendance and progress through their own portal and attendance alerts, so no MIS connection is needed to get started.
How much does ReferralMS cost?
You can start with a free Starter account – no credit card required. Paid plans are priced per organisation, not per pupil. Book a demo and we will recommend the right plan for your provision, school or local authority.
Ready to see ReferralMS?
Book a demo to see how ReferralMS can simplify AP referrals, compliance and tracking for your school, provision or local authority.