Statutory guidance
Reception baseline assessment: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA)
Arrangements for the statutory reception baseline assessment (RBA).
Documents
Details
This guidance sets out the statutory assessment and reporting requirements for the RBA.
It applies to the following schools with a reception cohort:
- maintained schools
- academies, including free schools
- special schools, including maintained special schools and special academies
- Defence Children Services (DCS) schools and settings
This guidance is for:
- all staff responsible for administering the RBA
- headteachers and senior leadership teams
- governors and trustees
Updates to this page
Published 1 April 2025
Last updated 24 July 2026
Show all updates
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Removed guidance for the academic year 2025 to 2026, as this has now ended.
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Added guidance for the academic year 2026 to 2027.
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First published.