Statutory guidance

2025 reception baseline assessment: administration guidance

Updated 2 June 2025

This guidance is for schools administering the reception baseline assessment (RBA). The information expands on ‘Assessment administration’ in the 2025 RBA assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA).

The statutory requirements in this document are indicated by the use of the word ‘must’. Additionally, providers must take into account other provisions in this document and should not deviate from them unless there is good reason for doing so. These provisions are indicated by the use of the word ‘should’.

Headteachers are responsible for the assessment administration arrangements within their school. Failure to adhere to this guidance could lead to a maladministration investigation.

1. Important dates for 2025

Date	Action
From Monday 2 June	Schools should ensure they have access to the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’ in preparation for the autumn term.
From Monday 2 June	Schools should access the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’ to complete training, familiarise themselves with the assessment content and ensure their devices can connect successfully.
From the start of the autumn term	Schools must upload pupil data and provide a status for pupils who are not participating in the assessment.
From the start of the autumn term	Schools must administer the assessment within the first 6 weeks of a pupil starting reception.
From Monday 22 September	Narrative statements for pupils who have completed both assessment components are available for practitioners to view and download.
Friday 7 November	Deadline for headteachers to submit the headteacher’s declaration form (HDF) in the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’.

2. Digital devices

Schools will need a minimum of 2 digital devices to administer the RBA. They must meet the criteria detailed in the RBA IT guidance.

This administration guidance refers to the 2 devices schools will need to administer the assessment as the ‘practitioner device’ and the ‘pupil device’.

Device	Purpose
Practitioner device	The main device that will guide the practitioner throughout the assessment. The practitioner must follow the instructions onscreen, then set up the pupil device when prompted.
Pupil device	A touchscreen device used by the pupil to respond to questions.

Schools will need to ensure both devices can connect to the services and pair with each other when administering the assessment (see ‘Check your devices can pair and connect to the service’ in Preparing for the assessment).

Pairing the devices is important to ensure the assessment data is linked to the correct pupil. It also means practitioners can observe how the pupil interacts with their device and the assessment questions.

3. The assessment services

Schools will be required to use 2 online services to prepare for and administer the RBA.

Schools will need to access both services using DfE Sign-in to complete the following activities:

Service	Activity
Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments	Register pupils, record reasons for pupils not taking the assessment, complete the headteacher’s declaration form, and view and download narrative statements.
Assessment service: start an assessment	Complete training, familiarise yourself with assessment questions, check your devices can connect, access modified administration guidance, manage accessibility settings and administer the assessment.

‘Assessment service: start an assessment’ contains assessment content and must only be accessed by staff who are involved in administering the assessment.

3.1 New DfE Sign-in users

If you do not have a DfE Sign-in account yet:

1. Create a DfE Sign-in account, which will prompt you to sign in to DfE Sign-in.
2. Select ‘Request access to an organisation’ and enter the unique reference number (URN) or name of your school.
3. A DfE Sign-in approver within your school will need to approve your organisation request.
4. Once your organisation request is approved, add the assessment services relevant to your role (see above). If you are requesting both services, you must add them separately.
5. A DfE Sign-in approver within your school will need to approve your service requests.

3.2 New RBA assessment service users

The services schools must ensure they have access to are:

• Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments
• Assessment service: start an assessment

You will need to add the assessment services relevant to your role (see above) to your DfE Sign-in account if you have not used them before. If you need access to both services, they will need to be added separately.

To add these services users should:

1. Sign in to your DfE Sign-in account.
2. Go to ‘Services’.
3. Select ‘Add services to my account’.
4. Select the service you would like to access and ‘Continue’.
5. Review the request details before sending your request.
6. Select ‘Request service’.
7. A DfE Sign-in approver within your school will need to approve both of your requests.

3.3 Multi-factor authentication

DfE Sign-in has introduced multi-factor authentication (MFA) and will gradually email users with detailed instructions on how to create an account with MFA enabled. New users will enable MFA during the setup process.

When signing in, users will automatically receive an authentication code by email.

You can find more information in the DfE Sign-in account security updates guidance.

3.4 DfE Sign-in support

If you need help accessing the RBA services, you can watch our video which demonstrates how to do this:

YouTube video: Accessing the RBA assessment services

DfE Sign-in users can also select DfE Sign-in ‘Help’ after signing into their account. If you are unable to find the answer to your question, you can contact DfE Sign-in for further support.

4. Preparing for the assessment

4.1 Assessment practitioners

The assessment must be administered by a suitably qualified practitioner, for example:

• a reception teacher
• a reception teaching assistant
• an early years lead or special educational needs co-ordinator, working one to one with each pupil

The assessment cannot be administered by a parent, relative, carer or guardian of the pupil.

In addition, practitioners should be:

• familiar with this guidance
• familiar with the digital devices being used
• known to the pupils

Practitioners will administer the assessment using 2 devices. They will read an instruction aloud to the pupil from their practitioner device, and the pupil will respond by either:

• interacting with their pupil device
• interacting with the toy bears for some of the mathematics questions
• telling the practitioner their answer

Before administering the assessment with pupils, we recommend that practitioners prepare by completing the following activities within the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’:

• complete the training topics
• familiarise yourself with the assessment questions
• check your devices can pair and connect to the service

4.2 Training topics

We strongly recommend practitioners complete all 3 training topics:

1. Administering the RBA
2. Types of questions in the RBA
3. Accessibility and inclusion

Each topic will take approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

The training topics will support practitioners to:

• administer the assessment questions with pupils
• prepare pupils for the assessment
• navigate the assessment
• understand the different types of assessment questions
• understand how pupils with accessibility needs can access the assessment
• mark specific questions in the literacy, communication and language (LCL) component

4.3 Familiarising yourself with the assessment questions

Practitioners can use the ‘Preview the assessment questions’ section within the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’ to read the questions that will appear in each of the assessment components:

• LCL
• mathematics

We recommend using the ‘Preview the assessment with 2 devices’ section within the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’, as this will allow practitioners to practise pairing the devices and administering the assessment.

Practitioners must not have a pupil present when previewing the assessment questions or practising administering the assessment.

4.4 Check your devices can pair and connect to the service

The devices used to administer the assessment must be able to connect to the service and pair with each other.

The RBA IT guidance sets out the technical requirements and recommended actions for IT staff and practitioners to ensure both devices can access the assessment.

Practitioners should use the ‘Check your devices can pair and connect to the service’ section within the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’ to ensure the:

• practitioner device can connect to the service
• pupil device can connect to the service
• devices can pair with each other

Practitioners should carry out these checks under the same conditions they plan to administer the assessment – for example, in the same location and using the same devices and wifi connection.

4.5 Preparing for the assessment: video

YouTube video: Preparing for the RBA

5. Managing pupils

From the start of the academic year, the ‘Manage pupils’ section within ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’ will be available to upload pupils. This includes any pupils who are not participating in the assessments.

Schools must ensure that all pupils are registered within the first 6 weeks of starting reception. This includes any pupils who start later in the academic year.

5.1 Register pupils

Schools should upload their full reception cohort, including each pupil’s:

• full name
• unique pupil number (UPN)
• date of birth
• gender

We recommend registering pupils by downloading a common transfer file (CTF) of pupil data from the school management information system (MIS) and uploading it to the assessment service.

Schools can also:

• register pupils individually
• register multiple pupils at once using a spreadsheet

Initially, all registered pupils are automatically set with a status of ‘pupil will take the standard assessment’.

5.2 Pupils not participating in the assessment

If the headteacher decides a pupil should not take the assessment, they must provide a reason and ensure the pupil status is updated by selecting ‘Change pupil taking status’ within the ‘Manage pupil’ section of the ‘Assessment service: Manage your school’s assessments’.

Schools will be able to assign one of the following taking statuses:

Status	Description
Pupil is unable to access the assessment	The pupil is unable to access both assessment components, even when making adaptations to the assessments (see Assessing pupils with additional needs).
Pupil has left the school	The pupil has left the school permanently without completing the RBA.
Pupil was uploaded in error	The pupil has been incorrectly uploaded – for example, the pupil did not join the school.
Delayed	The pupil is unable to complete the assessment within 6 weeks of starting reception – for example, due to deferred entry or a long period of illness.

You can find more information in the ‘Assessment participation’ section of the RBA ARA.

5.3 Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL)

The RBA must be carried out in English. The assessment has been designed to ensure that it is accessible to as many children as possible and some tasks will allow pupils to demonstrate their knowledge regardless of their proficiency in English.

Some features of the RBA can be used to support the assessment of children learning English as an additional language – for example, instructions can be repeated once and specific prompts can be used to support the pupil’s response. The pause function can also be used to ensure that these pupils are given breaks, as the demand on their memory is likely to be higher.

If a pupil’s limited ability to communicate in English means they are unable to access both assessment components, their pupil taking status must be updated by selecting ‘Change pupil taking status’ within the ‘Manage pupils’ section of the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’.

If a pupil is unable to access the LCL component only, practitioners should continue to administer the mathematics component. They can do this by starting the LCL component, then selecting ‘Discontinue’ and selecting the reason ‘Pupil is unable to access this assessment component’ (see ‘Discontinuing the assessment’ in Administering the assessment).  

6. Assessing pupils with additional needs

The ‘RBA modified administration guidance’ provides information on how to assess pupils with additional needs, including applying accessibility settings and other adaptations for pupils with a visual or hearing impairment. Schools can access this from ‘View and download modified administration guidance’ within ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’.

7. Administering the assessment

Schools must administer the assessment within the first 6 weeks of a pupil starting reception.

The assessment is made up of 2 components assessing:

• LCL
• mathematics

Pupils who join reception later in the year and have not already completed the RBA must complete the assessment within their first 6 weeks.

Each practitioner must administer the assessment to one pupil at a time.

There is no time limit for the assessment, but it usually takes less than 20 minutes in total to complete both components for each pupil. Some administrations may be shorter or longer depending on the needs of the pupil. Routing of questions will also make administration for some pupils shorter (see ‘Question routing’ below).

The LCL and mathematics components should be split over a minimum of 2 administration sessions with a break in between, preferably on separate days. With some pupils it may be possible to administer the tasks across a number of shorter sessions.

The assessment components can be carried out in any order.

7.1 Setting up for administration

Practitioners should complete the following setup checklist before administering the assessment:

• Select a quiet setting without any distractions.
• Ensure the toy bears are available for the mathematics component.
• Check the internet connection is working and stable.
• Ensure both devices are switched on, fully charged and in good working order.
• Disable the auto lock, hibernate or sleep mode feature on both devices.
• Close any unnecessary tabs on the browser and any other open applications on both devices.

7.2 Starting the assessment

When the practitioner is ready to administer the assessment to pupils, they will need their DfE Sign-in username and password to sign in to the ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’ on both the practitioner and pupil devices. A MFA passcode may also be required, which will be sent to the practitioner’s registered email address.

1. Sign in to the practitioner device first.
2. To support the pairing of devices, you will be prompted when signing in to select if the device is being used by a practitioner or a pupil.
3. If at least one pupil is registered, you will be able to select ‘Start assessment’ and follow the instructions on the practitioner and pupil devices.

7.3 Pairing your devices

Practitioners will be required to pair the practitioner and pupil devices before administering each assessment component to each individual pupil. The instructions onscreen will guide them through this process.

7.4 Question routing

The RBA uses question routing, which means that some questions may not be given to some pupils if their previous answers suggest they are unlikely to respond correctly.

7.5 Pausing the assessment

If the practitioner or pupil need a break during the assessment, select ‘Pause assessment and exit’. This will:

• save the pupil’s progress so far
• take the practitioner to the pupil selection screen, where the pupil’s assessment status will be recorded as incomplete

Practitioners can continue the assessment when they are ready by selecting the pupil’s name. They will then continue from where they paused the assessment.

7.6 Discontinuing the assessment

In exceptional circumstances, practitioners may discontinue an assessment component if they feel it would be inappropriate for the pupil to continue. To do this, the practitioner can select ‘Discontinue’ on the practitioner device during assessment administration.

Once the assessment component has been discontinued, this pupil will not be able to start again or finish the component.

Practitioners will need to select one of the following reasons for discontinuing the assessment:

• Pupil is unable to access this assessment component – for example, they are unable to access it even with appropriate adaptations, they do not have the necessary focus to complete the assessment, they have no or limited English, or they are refusing to participate
• The assessment component is too challenging – this should be used for pupils who are unable to continue because the question demand is beyond their current ability and practitioners think they will be unable to answer any further questions.

Pupils who are discontinued from one component can still go on to complete the other component. Where one or both components are discontinued, pupils will still receive a narrative statement (see Narrative statements).

If practitioners are unsure if they should discontinue the assessment for a pupil, they should select ‘Pause assessment and exit’ on the practitioner device and contact us or call the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013, selecting the option for RBA.

7.7 Transitioning between assessments

When practitioners have completed the administration of a pupil’s assessment, they should select ‘Finish and exit’ on both devices. On the practitioner device, they should select ‘Back to choose pupil’ to select the next pupil.

Practitioners will be guided to pair devices again to start the next assessment, but they do not need to sign out of the assessment service.

8. Checking pupil completion

Schools must ensure all pupils have completed the assessment within the first 6 weeks of starting reception. If they are not able to participate, schools must record a reason within the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’ (see ‘Pupils not participating in the assessment’ within Managing pupils).

You can check how many pupils have completed each component by selecting ‘Start assessment’ within ‘Assessment service: start an assessment’, which will provide a list of pupils.

If a pupil is not visible, you can check their taking status within the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’.

If you have any questions about pupil completion, please contact us or call the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013, selecting the option for RBA.

9. Narrative statements

Narrative statements provide a snapshot of a pupil’s attainment when the assessment was completed.

These statements will be available to view and download in ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’, for pupils who have completed both assessment components, from Monday 22 September.

After this date, the statements will be available immediately after a pupil has completed both assessment components.

Narrative statements for the 2025 to 2026 academic year will be available for schools to download until the end of the summer term 2026.

10. Headteacher’s declaration form

Headteachers or someone with delegated authority must submit the HDF within the ‘Assessment service: manage your school’s assessments’ by Friday 7 November.

The HDF will confirm that the school has either:

• administered the check according to this guidance
• reported administration issues to STA

Once submitted, the HDF cannot be amended. Headteachers or someone with delegated authority should report any mistakes to the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013, selecting the option for RBA.

11. Feed back your experience

Both assessment services contain a link to a feedback survey.

You can access this any time, but you will also be reminded to complete it at important times when preparing for and administering the assessment.

Feedback is optional and we will use responses to help continuously improve the service.

12. Additional guidance and support

For help and support with the RBA, you can:

• watch our RBA videos
• visit our RBA help centre
• use our virtual assistant
• contact us directly

If you are still unable to find an answer to your question, you can contact the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013, selecting the option for RBA.