Nursery World - Call to scrap the Reception Baseline intensifies

The introduction of Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is ‘misguided’ and should not go ahead in September, according to a united call for action from hundreds of head teachers, academics, writers and parents.

Children starting school in September will be the first to take the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)

A recovery plan for primary schools should include dropping the tests in literacy and maths for four-year-olds when they start school along with SATs in years 1, 2, 4 and 6. Instead, child well-being must be at the heart of recovery, the More Than A Score coalition argues in its new evidence-based report.

‘Drop SATs For Good: The Case For Recovery Without High-Stakes Assessment’ is calling for an independent, profession-led review into primary assessment to be established.

Writing in the report, Beatrice Merrick, chief executive of Early Education and Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at Early Years Alliance state that introducing RBA will be ‘hugely time-consuming’ for teachers when they should be spending their time directly supporting children. They believe it is at odds with the reforms to the EYFS which aim to cut teacher workloads.

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