Statutory guidance
Reception baseline assessment: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA)
Arrangements for the statutory reception baseline assessment (RBA).
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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
The ‘2026 RBA ARA’ applies to the academic year 2026 to 2027.
If you still need to administer the RBA to pupils who start reception later in the academic year 2025 to 2026, please refer to the ‘2025 RBA ARA’.
Updates to this page
Published 1 April 2025
Last updated 18 May 2026
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Added guidance for the academic year 2026 to 2027.
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First published.