Dear [Your Teacher/Headteacher]
[I/We] understand that the Department for Education is requiring the format of the Reception Baseline Assessment to change for the academic year 2025/2026 so that part of that test will now involve reception pupils using a touchscreen device.
[I am/We are] concerned that the introduction of a screen based element to this Assessment for the youngest of schoolchildren will encourage and embed an approach to early years education which is at odds with a healthy approach to child development. More imminently, any normalisation of touchscreens in foundation-level classrooms will set a terrible precedent and raise unhelpful expectations about our children’s use of touchscreen devices in school, and then also at home.
As parents we have chosen to limit screentime and [we do not allow our child/children routinely to use] / [are careful to limit our use of] touchscreen devices at home.
There is considerable evidence that even limited screen use for young children carries negative impacts spanning cognitive, linguistic and emotional development, early educational attainment, motor development and handwriting.
For these reasons, [I/we] wish to opt [my/our] child out of the digital element of the RBA, which I understand [I am/we are] entitled to request. Please could you kindly confirm that [insert child’s name] will be opted out as requested?
Yours sincerely
[Your Name]