Your child’s NAPLAN report has arrived. You look at the results and see the words “Needs additional support.”
It is hard not to worry. You may wonder whether your child has fallen far behind, whether they missed something important in class or whether you should book extra lessons immediately.
If you are a Nigerian or African parent living in Australia, the wording may also be unfamiliar. You want to understand what it means in your child’s school—and what you can do that will actually help.
Begin with this: the report identifies an area that needs attention. It does not tell the whole story of your child’s ability or specify every skill they need to practise. The next useful step is to discuss the result alongside their current classroom work.
What Does “Needs Additional Support” Mean?
NAPLAN is Australia’s national assessment of literacy and numeracy for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Individual results are reported using four proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.
The “Needs additional support” level indicates that a student may need more help to make satisfactory progress. NAPLAN is intended to provide information about learning; it is not a simple pass-or-fail test.
Look at which assessment area has that result. A child may need help in numeracy while showing stronger performance in reading, for example. Avoid turning one result into “My child is struggling with everything.”
Students at other proficiency levels may also need support with specific skills. The report should be read with what teachers see in everyday learning.
What Should You Do First?
Arrange a conversation with your child’s teacher. Bring the report, but ask about recent classwork as well.
You could write:
“I’ve read my child’s NAPLAN report and noticed the ‘Needs additional support’ result in numeracy. Could we discuss what you are seeing in class and agree on the first skill to work on?”
This gives the teacher a specific starting point. It also helps you avoid guessing that a low result was caused by one topic when the difficulty may lie elsewhere.
Ask:
- Does this result match my child’s current classroom work?
- Which skills are causing the most difficulty?
- Can you show me an example from a recent assignment?
- What support is already available at school?
- What is one useful thing we can practise at home?
- When should we review progress together?
You do not need to leave the meeting with a plan to fix every subject. Aim for one or two clear priorities.
If the Result Is in Numeracy
“Needs additional support” in numeracy does not, by itself, tell you whether the main difficulty is calculation, reading a word problem, fractions, interpreting a graph or another skill.
Ask the teacher for an example of the kind of task your child finds difficult. Then watch your child attempt a similar question without telling them the method.
For example:
A school excursion has 48 students. They travel in vehicles that hold 8 students each. How many vehicles are needed?
The calculation is 48÷8=648\div8=6. But a child who cannot start may need help understanding how the group size relates to the total. A child who chooses division but calculates incorrectly needs different practice.
Ask your child: “What do the 48 and the 8 represent?” Their answer can help you and the teacher locate the problem.
Use questions suited to your child’s year and classroom work. The example above is simply a way to show how to listen to their reasoning.
If the Result Is in Reading
A child may read words aloud fluently but find it difficult to answer questions about meaning. Another may understand the main idea but struggle with unfamiliar vocabulary or drawing conclusions from clues in a text.
Choose a short passage at an appropriate level. Ask:
- What happened?
- Which words helped you work that out?
- What do you think the writer suggests without stating directly?
- What would you ask if a sentence confused you?
Share what you observe with the teacher. “She reads aloud well but cannot point to evidence for an answer” is more useful than “She needs more reading.”
Keep time for enjoyable reading too. Every book does not need to become a test.
If the Result Is in Writing or Language Skills
Ask the teacher whether the priority is generating ideas, organising them, writing clear sentences, spelling, grammar or punctuation. These skills connect, but they do not all require the same first step.
A child who tells a detailed story but writes only two sentences might need help planning and developing ideas. A child with a well-organised response may need targeted work on sentence accuracy.
Request one example of your child’s writing and ask: “What would improvement look like in the next piece?” That gives you a practical goal.
Should You Start NAPLAN Practice Tests Immediately?
If the report has already arrived, the immediate goal is to strengthen the skill your child needs in everyday learning. Completing many test-style questions without identifying that skill may create more pressure without resolving the difficulty.
Ask the teacher which classroom activities or resources fit the priority. If your child is in a year between NAPLAN assessments, support should still follow their current learning rather than wait for the next test.
Practise a little, check understanding, then try a different question or task. Notice whether your child can do more independently over time.
A Four-Week Starting Plan
This is a sample plan to adapt with the teacher, not a promise that a proficiency level will change in four weeks.
Week 1: Clarify the gap. Discuss the NAPLAN result and current classwork with the teacher. Agree on one skill to prioritise.
Week 2: Teach and practise. Use short, suitable activities. Ask your child to explain their thinking, and note where they need a hint.
Week 3: Try a different task. Check whether your child can use the skill when the question, passage or writing prompt changes.
Week 4: Review with the teacher. Share what you observed. Ask whether classroom work shows progress and what should come next.
Progress may first show up as your child starting a task more confidently, explaining an answer or needing fewer prompts. Continue to monitor school assessments and teacher feedback as well.
How to Talk to Your Child About the Report
Your child may already feel disappointed. Explain the result without making it their identity.
You might say:
“This report shows us an area to work on. We’ll speak with your teacher, find out which skill needs help and practise it together.”
Avoid comparing the result with a sibling’s or friend’s. Ask your child which school tasks feel difficult and which feel manageable. Their experience is valuable, even if it does not fully explain the assessment result.
When Can a Tutor Help?
One-to-one tutoring may be useful if the same skill remains difficult after classroom support, your child has lost confidence, or you need structured help with a clearly identified gap.
Share the NAPLAN report and recent schoolwork with the tutor. The report shows a broad area of concern; the schoolwork helps reveal what to teach first.
Ask the tutor:
- How will you find the specific gap?
- How will lessons fit my child’s current schoolwork?
- Will my child practise independently during lessons?
- How will you explain progress to me?
- How will we coordinate with teacher feedback?
A useful first goal might be “interpret and solve two-step numeracy word problems” or “support reading answers with clues from a passage.” It should be based on your child’s work, not on a general promise to improve their NAPLAN result.
Support for Nigerian and African Families in Australia
Glareminds provides one-to-one online academic support for children following international curricula, including learners in Australia. We begin by understanding the child’s current schoolwork and the areas causing difficulty, then plan focused lessons and share progress with parents.
If your child’s NAPLAN report says “Needs additional support,” start by discussing it with their teacher. If you would like additional individual help, book an academic consultation with Glareminds. Bring the report and a recent assignment so we can talk about a practical starting point.
Book an academic consultation with Glareminds
Frequently Asked Questions
Has my child failed NAPLAN?
NAPLAN is not reported as a simple pass-or-fail test. “Needs additional support” is a proficiency level indicating that a child may require more help. Discuss the result with their teacher alongside current classwork.
Does the report show the exact topic my child needs to study?
It identifies performance in assessment areas. The teacher’s classroom observations and samples of your child’s work can help pinpoint a more specific skill.
Should I wait until the next NAPLAN test to check improvement?
No. Ask the teacher to review current work with you after a suitable period of focused support. Everyday learning provides opportunities to see progress.
Can an online tutor use the NAPLAN report?
Yes. It can inform the initial conversation, but the tutor should also review your child’s recent work and assess what they can do independently.