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Guidance

LRS: web services for management information system developers

Learning Records Service (LRS) web services provide system-to-system communications over a network.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education and Education and Skills Funding Agency
Published:
23 June 2014
Last updated:
9 May 2024
Show all updates

  1. Updated 'LRS getting started guide'.

  2. We have updated the LRS testing application form.

  3. We have published version 4.8 of the LRS testing application form.

  4. We have updated the LRS web services interface specification.

  5. We have published version 6.3 of the LRS web services interface specification.

  6. We have published a new version of the LRS web services interface specification.

  7. We have updated the LRS web services interface specification.

  8. We have updated the LRB web services interface application document.

  9. We have updated the AO web services interface application forms.

  10. We have updated the LRS testing application form, the LRS testing instructions guide, the LRS getting started guide, LRB web services interface application and the AO web services interface application documents.

  11. We have updated the AO web services interface application document.

  12. We have published version 3 of the LRS getting started guide, along with updated AO web services interface application and LRB web services interface application forms

  13. We have updated the LRS getting started guide and the testing application form.

  14. We have updated the LRB web services interface application form.

  15. We have updated the LRB testing application form.

  16. We have updated the AO web services interface application and the LRB web services interface application.

  17. We have published the latest AO web services interface application, the LRB web services interface application, and the LRB testing application form.

  18. We have updated the ULN validation guide.

  19. We have updated the LRS web services interface specification guide.

  20. Updated live web service connection form.

  21. Published the AO Web Services Interface Application

  22. New and updated documents have been added.

  23. Removal of LRS developer registration form and major editorial change to content of the page completed on 19 January 2018.

  24. New version of Developer registration form uploaded on 30 October 2017.

  25. Minor editorial change to registered Developer section of the page made on 12 June 2017.

  26. New version of LRS developer registration form uploaded on 25 January 2017.

  27. Minor editorial change on 10 January 2017.

  28. New version of LRS developer registration form uploaded on 24 November 2016.

  29. New version of LRS developer registration form uploaded on 12 October 2016.

  30. New LRS developer registration for and instruction on how to create a Microsoft Live account uploaded 27 November 2014.

  31. First published.

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

Documents

LRS getting started guide

PDF, 300 KB, 14 pages

LRS testing instructions guide

PDF, 202 KB, 12 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternative.formats@education.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

LRS web services interface specification

PDF, 1010 KB, 89 pages

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ULN validation

PDF, 290 KB, 4 pages

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AO web services interface application

MS Word Document, 71.2 KB

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AO web services interface application

PDF, 224 KB, 12 pages

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LRB web services interface application

MS Word Document, 80 KB

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LRB web services interface application

PDF, 271 KB, 16 pages

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Live web service connection form

MS Word Document, 80.5 KB

Live web service connection form

PDF, 133 KB, 3 pages

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternative.formats@education.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

LRS testing application form

MS Word Document, 59 KB

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LRS testing application form

PDF, 141 KB, 5 pages

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Details

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow this guidance.

Learning Records Service (LRS) web services provide system-to-system communications over a network, which mainly takes place over the Internet. Put simply, the system requests a specific task (or tasks) of another system and then receives a response to its request.

Using the web services interface

Web services can give several benefits:

  • your management information system (MIS) can communicate directly with our learner register, rather than using you as an intermediary meaning you do not need to log onto the learner register as a user, or give every user of your MIS access to it

  • the web service interface also removes the effort and risk of error of re-keying information from your MIS into the learner register because data is transferred directly

  • each web service only does one thing, because it has no memory, the services are scalable, meaning we can make several copies of the same service simultaneously

  • a web service uses a standard extensible mark-up language (XML), which is referred to as its service description, this gives you all of the details you need to use the service, including message formats (that detail the operations), transport protocols and location. Web service descriptions are expressed in web service description language (WSDL, pronounced ‘Wizdel’)

If you are not familiar with web services, we recommend you seek expert advice before starting any development of your MIS.

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