Custom truancy and RMC software development
Appfront builds custom software for compulsory education officers and RMC coordinators, enabling your municipality to handle absence, exemptions, enforcement and early school leaver pathways in one environment. Absence reports from the DUO Verzuimloket arrive in a structured way, case files follow your own working process, and integrations with the BRP and national services keep data up to date. That way your staff have time for what matters most: contact with the young person.
What is compulsory education and RMC software?
Compulsory education and RMC software supports the full workflow around school absence and early school leaving. Schools report absence via the DUO Verzuimloket — relative absence, absolute absence, long-term relative absence and luxury absence. These reports reach the municipality, where the compulsory education officer investigates, hears the parties involved, builds a case file and, where necessary, enforces under the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplichtwet). For the RMC function, every early school leaver without a starting qualification is followed through a pathway back into education or work.
Off-the-shelf packages cover the basics but often fall short of how a municipality or RMC region actually works: how cases are allocated, the agreements within a partnership, the integrations you need and the reports that your region and central government expect. Custom software follows your process rather than the other way around — from type of absence to exemption decision, and from first report to a completed RMC pathway.
Appfront builds this software in line with the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO) (Dutch government baseline information security) and the GDPR, with privacy by design as a starting point because it concerns data on young people. We align case flows, roles and integrations with your actual process, so the application grows alongside changes in regulation and organisation. Also read more about our software for municipalities.
Absence at a glance
Absence notifications from the DUO Verzuimloket are automatically filed in the correct case, with the young person, the school and the type of absence attached. The school attendance officer sees in a single overview what is outstanding, what is urgent and what requires action.
Case management & enforcement
Every case follows the steps of the Leerplichtwet (Compulsory Education Act): investigation, interviews, warning, official report or referral. Deadlines and follow-up actions are monitored, so nothing is left behind and every decision is recorded in a traceable way.
RMC trajectories
Early school leavers without a starting qualification are followed through a guidance trajectory towards school, work or a combination of the two. Trajectory coaches record contact moments, goals and outcomes, and track each young person's progress.
Our development process for school attendance and RMC software
We work in short iterations that remove uncertainty early and deliver a reliable application. From an initial analysis of your school attendance and RMC processes through to go-live and ongoing management, every step is aimed at software that your school attendance officers and RMC staff genuinely understand and trust.
We map out your absence, exemption and RMC processes together with the roles, the agreements within your partnership and the necessary integrations with BRP and DUO data.
We design the information architecture, the case flows and the permissions structure, and determine which government standards and integrations the process requires.
We build in short iterations with automated testing, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and steer based on what your staff experience.
Controlled go-live with data validation and careful migration of ongoing cases, followed by ongoing management and further development.
What school attendance and RMC software actually offers
Every application is configured around your absence, exemption and RMC processes and the systems surrounding them. Below are the features we most often deliver for compulsory education departments and RMC regions. Together with you, we will assess whether an integration with the BRP and with DUO data is needed.
Absence registration & handling
Absence notifications from the DUO Verzuimloket arrive in a structured way and are automatically assigned to the correct case and school attendance officer. For each notification you see the type of absence, the school and the status, with deadlines and follow-up actions monitored.
Exemptions & leave
Applications for exemption from compulsory education and applications for special leave are received, assessed and processed with a reasoned decision. Conditions, deadlines and validity periods are recorded, so that current exemptions remain clear and manageable.
Enforcement of the Leerplichtwet
The enforcement process is supported from warning and interview through to official report and referral to Halt or the Public Prosecution Service. Each step is recorded with date and justification, so the case remains traceable and legally sound.
RMC trajectory coaching
For early school leavers without a basic qualification, the software tracks the support pathway: contact moments, goals, actions taken and progress into education or work. Pathway coordinators see the current status and the open next steps for each young person.
Integrations with BRP and DUO
Personal details of the young person are kept up to date through an integration with the BRP (Municipal Personal Records Database), so addresses and household situation are accurate. Enrolment and absence data from DUO is imported, where appropriate via Digikoppeling for secure national data exchange.
Reporting & management
Dashboards and reports give insight into the number of absence notifications, processing times, exemptions and RMC outcomes, broken down by school, municipality or region. This lets you account to your board and region with figures drawn from your own working processes.
For which organisations and processes
Compulsory education and RMC software is used in different ways, depending on how a municipality or region is organised. We see a number of variants come up often, and for each one we shape the case flows, roles and integrations to fit.
Compulsory education in municipalities
The compulsory education department of a municipality that processes absence notifications from the DUO absence portal, assesses exemptions and leave, and enforces the Compulsory Education Act. The software follows the department's own working process. See also our municipality websites.
RMC regions
The regional reporting and coordination function for early school leavers, which identifies young people without a basic qualification and supports them towards education or work. Pathway coordinators track contact moments, goals and outflow, with figures for regional accountability.
Regional collaborations
Several municipalities that deliver compulsory education and RMC together under a joint arrangement. One environment serves all participating municipalities, with separate case files, permissions and reports for each organisation within the partnership.
Connecting to youth and care services
Compulsory education and RMC rarely operate in isolation: they touch on pupil transport, youth care and the social domain. We ensure the software connects with adjacent processes, with clear agreements on which data may be shared with which party.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology we use
We build compulsory education and RMC software on a modern, maintainable web stack and align with the government standards the process requires. The precise choice depends on your existing IT landscape and the integrations you need, so that your own team or a future supplier can manage and further develop the software. For the relevant government integrations we work with, among others, the BRP integration, Digikoppeling and, where appropriate, the ZGW APIs for case-based working.
For the school that records, follows up on and reports absence to DUO, with the case file the compulsory education officer requests, there is our app for absence registration and compulsory education reporting.
Why choose Appfront for your compulsory education and RMC software?
Appfront builds custom software for a wide range of organisations in the Netherlands, including government bodies. We always begin with a thorough analysis of existing systems and processes — software must not only work technically, but also fit the everyday work of the compulsory education officer and the RMC coordinator.
On every project we write clear documentation and make sure your own team, or a future supplier, can understand and manage the software. No black box, but transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, alerting and management, so your municipality does not become dependent on a single party.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technical and the functional side. This keeps communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during development.
See also our wider services in custom software, AI for municipalities and government and related applications such as pupil transport software and housing association software.
- Experience with custom software for government and municipal processes
- Familiar with integrations such as the BRP and Digikoppeling, and with DUO data
- Built to BIO and GDPR standards, with privacy by design for young people's data
- Accessible to WCAG 2.1 AA where citizens use the software
- Software that follows your own compulsory education and RMC workflow
- Suitable for a single municipality or a regional partnership
- Comprehensive logging and monitoring from day one
- Clear documentation your team can read and manage
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- No supplier lock-in: transparent code and open agreements
Security and privacy in compulsory education and RMC software
Compulsory education and RMC case files contain sensitive data about minors and young adults, sometimes including health, family or justice-related background. Appfront therefore builds in line with the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO), with privacy by design as the starting point. This includes data minimisation, purpose limitation per process, role-based access and extensive logging of who views which case.
We align retention periods and legal bases for processing with the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplichtwet), RMC regulations and the GDPR, and we document the data flows so that your record of processing activities is complete. Where citizens use the software, such as a parent portal for an exemption request, we build to WCAG 2.1 AA and the requirements for digital accessibility in government.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Built to the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO)
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Logging of case file access per user
- Retention periods aligned with the Compulsory Education Act and RMC
- WCAG 2.1 AA for components that citizens use
- Documentation for your record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about compulsory education and RMC software
Answers to the questions we most often receive about custom software for compulsory education and RMC.
Compulsory education and RMC software is a custom application with which a municipality records and processes absence, exemptions, enforcement of the Compulsory Education Act and pathways for early school leavers. Absence notifications that schools submit via the DUO absence portal come in, are assigned to a compulsory education officer or RMC employee, and move through a case file with steps, contact moments, official reports and final decisions. For the RMC function, the software tracks pathways for young people without a starting qualification back into school, work or a combination of the two.
We build for municipalities and their truancy departments, and for RMC regions that carry out the regional reporting and coordination function for early school leavers. Municipalities often work together through a regional partnership or joint arrangement; the software can then support several municipalities within a single environment, with separate case files and permissions for each organisation. Truancy officers, RMC case coordinators, quality staff and management also work in the same application, each with their own role and view.
Schools report absence via the DUO absence reporting portal; DUO then informs the municipality based on enrolment data from BRON, so the truancy officer knows which young people are enrolled where. We configure the software so that DUO absence and enrolment data arrive in a structured form and are automatically linked to the correct case file. For national data exchange with DUO, we align with the applicable standards, including Digikoppeling where relevant.
Truancy and RMC case files contain sensitive data about minors and young adults, sometimes including health or family background. The software is built on privacy by design: data minimisation, role-based access, purpose limitation per process, and extensive logging of who views which file. We align retention periods and legal bases with the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplichtwet), RMC regulations and the GDPR, and provide documentation for your record of processing activities.
We build with a modern, maintainable web stack — typically an API-driven backend in Node.js or Python with a React or Vue frontend, and PostgreSQL as the database. Integrations with the BRP for personal data, with DUO data and with national services run over secure connections and the government standards that apply to the process, such as Digikoppeling. The choice depends on your existing IT landscape, so that your own team or a future supplier can manage the software.
Yes. We build in line with the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO) and the GDPR, with encryption in transit and at rest, least-privilege access and demonstrable logging. Where the software is also used by citizens, for example a parent portal for an exemption request or a report submission, we build to WCAG 2.1 AA and the government requirements on digital accessibility, so the application is usable by everyone.
Yes. We can take over existing applications or a legacy absence system, or replace them in stages. We first map the current processes, data fields and integrations, carry out careful data migration of ongoing cases, and build any missing functionality. This allows you to move over in phases without losing ongoing absence or RMC cases.
We start with an analysis of your truancy and RMC processes, the roles involved and the integrations required. We then design the information architecture and case flows, after which we build in short iterations and show you working versions along the way. Following a controlled go-live, we provide ongoing management, monitoring and further development. We work with a fixed point of contact and clear documentation, so your organisation stays in control of the software.
Ready to have your truancy and RMC software built?
Tell us how your truancy and RMC processes work and which systems and integrations the software needs to connect to — we are happy to think along with you on absence handling, exemptions, enforcement and RMC cases. In a no-obligation advisory consultation, you will get a clear picture of what is possible.