Guidance

Reception baseline assessment framework

A framework for test developers to use from the academic year 2025 to 2026 onwards.

• From: Standards and Testing Agency
• Published: 27 February 2019
• Last updated: 1 April 2025 — See all updates

Documents

Reception baseline assessment framework

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Details

This assessment framework provides details about the purpose, format, content and cognitive demand of the reception baseline assessment (RBA). It is designed to aid those who write assessment materials, and to guide subsequent development and assessment construction. It is not designed to be used to guide teaching.

Published 27 February 2019

Last updated 1 April 2025 + show all updates

1. 1 April 2025

   Updated for the academic year 2025 to 2026 onwards. For more information about changes to the reception baseline assessment from September 2025, please refer to www.gov.uk/government/collections/reception-baseline.

2. 3 May 2022

   Edited details on this guidance page only - attached documents remain unedited.

3. 7 May 2021

   Updated for the introduction of the 2021 reception baseline assessment.

4. 24 February 2021

   Updated to note any reference to the reception baseline assessment becoming statutory from 2020 in these documents is now inaccurate. Statutory introduction of the reception baseline assessment has been postponed to autumn 2021.

5. 27 February 2019

   First published.