The truth about
Reception Baseline Assessment

• Baseline is a maths and English test imposed on schools by the government. It must be taken by 4- and 5-year-olds during their first few weeks at school
• Children must leave the classroom and their friends to sit the 20 minute test
• The vast majority of heads and teachers are against Baseline. In an average classroom, the test wastes three days of valuable settling-in time
• The test does not help teachers. They do their own much more careful observation of pupils over the first few weeks to properly understand each child and fully support them
• The test does not help parents – you won’t be told anything meaningful
• The test does not help your child. It’s not designed to help children, it’s designed to measure schools against each other