NAPLAN: What Parents Really Need to Know

Two Sacred Heart Primary, Mount Druitt students writing into their workbooks in class.

Each March, families across Australia hear a lot about NAPLAN. The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. But what does it really mean for your child in 2026?

First, NAPLAN serves an important purpose. It provides a consistent, nationwide snapshot of how students are progressing in foundational skills. For schools, it offers useful data to identify strengths, highlight areas for improvement and guide evidence-based teaching strategies. For families, it can be a helpful reference point in understanding how their child is tracking against national benchmarks.

In that sense, NAPLAN matters. However, it’s equally important to understand what NAPLAN is not.

NAPLAN is not a measure of your child’s intelligence, potential or overall ability. It does not assess creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, resilience or empathy.

“NAPLAN gives us useful data, but it’s only one part of a much bigger learning picture,” says Lisa Crampton, Head of Primary Learning at CSPD. “Parents should see it as a check-in point, along with other school-based assessments, rather than a judgement. What matters most is consistent growth over time and how well a school supports the whole child.”

St Michael's Primary School, Baulkham hills student using Chromebook in class. He is wearing earbuds.

So what can parents do?

Lisa’s advice is simple: keep it calm and keep it balanced.

“Encourage your child to do their best, make sure they’re well-rested, and remind them that one test doesn’t define them. Students experience explicit literacy and numeracy instruction every day in our classrooms within a multi-tiered system of support that ensures students receive any additional support they need quickly.”

At Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese, we use NAPLAN as a tool to shed light on our progress in lifting each students’ literacy and numeracy skills.

In 2026, NAPLAN will continue to play a role in Australian education. But in the bigger picture, it remains just one chapter in a much larger story - your child’s lifelong journey of learning and growth.

At Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese, we believe every child has the potential for greatness. Across our 80 primary and secondary schools in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, students are supported to thrive not only in academic achievement but in character, purpose and belonging.

Find a school and register for an Open Day near you

Written By

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au

Facebook | OLOR

14 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Winter Vinnies 2026 Stayout On Wednesday afternoon our Yr 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to take part in the Vinnies Stayout. The afternoon began with Yr 6 students sharing information about homelessness and poverty and we were blessed to have the local conference members from Vinnies join us to share how they support our community. We joined together in a liturgy before students got to work collating snack packs - a hands-on reminder that small acts of kindness can make a real difference. As night fell, students experienced the dark and cold of the playground, a small glimpse into what it feels like to have no warm place to sleep. The evening ended with a simple dinner of noodles and sandwiches just like many people in our community experience night after night. We are incredibly proud of the maturity and generosity our students showed throughout the afternoon/evening. Thank you to our Vinnies guests, students, teachers and all families who supported this experience. If you are able to make a financial contribution to support the Vinnies Winter Appeal please use this link. https://tinyurl.com/mr34y2ny

14 Jun 2026
From Facebook
On Wednesday we held a Pyjama mufti day to collect food donations to support the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Our students enjoyed wearing their cosiest PJs and the generosity shown by families was amazing!!! 😍 Thank you to every family who donated as this will make a real difference to people in our community who are doing it tough this winter. 💕