The Department for Education is replacing the Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) with the Eligibility Checking Engine (ECE). You must switch to ECE before the end of March 2026 when ECS will be switched off. Follow these steps to complete your ECE accreditation with the DfE and configure ECE in Synergy.
Before you start
You need the following before you can configure ECE:
Administrator permissions in Synergy Client.
Completed DfE ECE Accreditation Form.
ECE credentials from the DfE including URL, Client ID, and Secret.
Step 1: Complete DfE accreditation
You must obtain ECE credentials from the DfE before you can configure Synergy.
Download the DfE ECE Accreditation Form.
Complete the form for your Local Authority.
List Access Synergy as your third-party system.
Include the contact email: [email protected]
Email the completed form to [email protected]
Include in your email:
Your LA Code and Name
The email address where you want credentials sent.
The phone number for receiving secret details.
The scopes you need: FSM, EYPP, 2YO, or Working Family.
The DfE will send you your ECE credentials including the URL, Client ID, and Secret.
📌Note: You'll receive separate credentials for Test and Production environments.
Step 2: Configure ECE in Synergy
Once you have received your ECE credentials from the DfE, you can configure them in Synergy.
In Synergy Client, click System Manager.
Click Options, then click Common, then click ECE.
In the OAUTH 2.0 URL field, enter the ECE URL provided by DfE for your current environment.
In the OAUTH 2.0 Client ID field, enter the Client ID from DfE.
In the OAUTH 2.0 Secret field, enter the Secret from DfE.
In the Fetch Schedule Interval field, enter the number of minutes between automatic batch checks.
🤓Tip: The default interval is 5 minutes. Most Local Authorities use this default setting.
Step 3: Enable ECE for eligibility types
You can enable ECE for one or more eligibility types depending on which checks you want to perform.
Select the checkboxes for the eligibility types you want to check using ECE:
Connect to new Eligibility Checking Engine (ECE) for FSM entitlement for Free School Meals.
Connect to new Eligibility Checking Engine (ECE) for EY entitlement for 2-year-old funding.
Connect to new Eligibility Checking Engine (ECE) for EYPP entitlement for Early Years Pupil Premium.
Connect to new Eligibility Checking Engine (ECE) for Working Family entitlement for working family childcare.
Click Save.
📌Note: When you enable a checkbox, all eligibility checks of that type across Synergy will use ECE instead of ECS.
What happens next
Once ECE is configured and enabled:
Single eligibility checks will use ECE immediately.
Batch eligibility checks are automatically processed via AutoTasks.
You don't need to manually fetch batch results using the Fetch Batch screen.
Batch results are typically available within one hour.
🤓Tip: Your existing ECS credentials in System Manager → Options → Common → ECS will no longer be used for eligibility checking once ECE is enabled.