The Standards and Testing Agency has approved the following providers for the reception baseline assessment:

• Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham University (CEM)
• Early Excellence
• GL Assessment
• Hodder Education
• National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)
• Speech Link

You should choose the reception baseline that best fits your school’s needs and approach to assessment. Sign up by the end of April 2015 to start using the reception baseline from 1 September 2015. You can sign up after this, but your preferred provider might not available.

In 2022 the DfE will use whichever measure shows the most progress: your reception baseline to key stage 2 results or your key stage 1 results to key stage 2 results. The DfE will cover the basic cost of approved reception baselines for local-authority maintained schools, academies and free schools. Independent schools must pay the full cost of the baseline.

For the 2015 to 2016 academic year, local-authority maintained schools, academies and free schools should pay for the reception baseline. The DfE will then reimburse you directly for the basic cost. From September 2016, the DfE will make sure that your school budget includes funds for the reception baseline.

From September 2016 you’ll only be able to use your reception baseline to key stage 2 results to measure progress. If you choose not to use the reception baseline, from 2023 the DfE will only hold you to account by your pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2.

Independent schools may use the reception baseline, but the DfE will not collect their data.