Reception baseline assessment

Last reviewed on 10 May 2021
School types: All · School phases: Nursery, Primary
Ref: 10702

All new reception pupils will be expected to take the reception baseline assessment from September 2021. Find out how it works so you're prepared to carry it out.

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Contents

  1. How it works 
  2. What's being assessed 

How it works 

When you do it

You'll have to carry out the assessment within the first 6 weeks of a pupil joining your reception (now from September 2021 onwards).

This is regardless of when they join the class, unless they have been assessed previously.

It's carried out 1-to-1 and takes up to 20 minutes per pupil to complete. There's no need to prepare pupils for the assessment.

Who carries it out

The assessments must be administered by one of the following:

  • A reception teacher
  • A reception teaching assistant
  • A suitably qualified practitioner (e.g. early years lead or SENCO)

They should be familiar to the pupil, and be fully trained and familiar with the materials.

The assessment 

A series of practical tasks using physical resources (including oral responses, pointing, and ordering or moving objects) An online system that provides administrative instructions for each task An online scoring system for the

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