Every year, the Department of Education releases NAPLAN results with the same goal: to show how schools, states, and the nation are performing in literacy and numeracy. But here’s the catch; NAPLAN data doesn’t differentiate between students who receive outside support and those who don’t.

That means the results are a mixed bag. Some children sit NAPLAN with the benefit of years of tutoring, targeted intervention, or strong home support. Others walk into the test relying solely on what they’ve learned in class. Yet, when the results are published, they’re presented as though every child has had the same educational journey.

The reality? The data is dirty. It’s influenced by tutoring, socioeconomic differences, parental involvement, and a host of other factors that have nothing to do with how schools are actually teaching.

So while NAPLAN might highlight trends at a national or state level, it rarely gives schools or families the clean, actionable insights they really need. It doesn’t tell a teacher exactly where your child is struggling. It doesn’t guide parents on what skills to prioritise. And it certainly doesn’t provide the tailored feedback that actually helps a child improve.

At Blue Boots, we don’t rely on NAPLAN reports to tell us how a student is doing. Our teachers can gather more meaningful insight in a single 30-minute 1:1 session than NAPLAN could ever offer. That’s because we’re not bound to broad benchmarks or delayed data, we’re free to focus on what really matters: identifying gaps, setting high expectations, and teaching children what they truly need to know.

The bottom line: NAPLAN is a system tool, not a child-focused one. If you want real insight into your child’s progress, and a plan to close the gaps, you won’t find it in a NAPLAN report. You’ll find it in an environment where teaching is personal, expectations are higher, and growth is measured in more than just numbers.

Tags: NAPLAN