Is It Too Late? Learning Gaps In Children & How to Catch Up

Is It Too Late?

"It's devastating to discover my child's learning gaps only in secondary school!"

Data shows that 1 in 5 students across Australia enter secondary school at or below the minimum standards for literacy and numeracy.

Secondary school should be a time for students to soar, to think critically, create, and innovate. But when learning gaps persist, they struggle to fully engage with the curriculum. This can lead to disengagement, frustration, and even a higher risk of not completing Year 12, ultimately limiting their future opportunities.

💡 But here’s the good news: Research confirms it’s NOT too late. Many schools are now adopting multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to help students bridge these gaps.

What Can We Do Earlier to Help Our Children?

One of the first questions we get from parents all the time is:

🗣️ "How long will it take for my child to learn to read?"

The real answer is actually… 10 years!

Why? Because true reading isn’t just decoding words; it’s the ability to analyse, synthesise, and create something new from knowledge. These higher-order thinking skills take years to develop, just like mastering a musical instrument or excelling in sports.

The 10,000-Hour Rule

Take elite athletes as an example. Experts believe it takes at least 10 years and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to reach mastery, an idea popularised by Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. Similarly, Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon and his coleagues estimated that true expertise requires absorbing 50,000 chunks of information over a decade.

📌 In other words, for a 14-year-old to be ready to thrive in secondary school, their literacy foundation should have started at around 4 years old.

But here’s the catch: Practice alone is not the key — it must be the right kind of learning.

As Michael Jordan said:

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way.”

So, what’s the right way to build literacy skills?

Building a Solid Literacy Foundation

For young learners, the focus should be on providing plenty of opportunities to explore their curiosity. The fundamentals of language are more than just the ABCs and code drills; they involve nurturing a genuine curiosity for language.

Children should be exposed to a variety of words in different contexts and encouraged to play with them. That’s where singing, dancing, acting, and storytelling come in.

Then, by weaving phonological awareness into these fun activities, they begin to "fall in love" with language as they hear letter sounds, blend phonics, and explore words in an engaging way.

✔️ Preschoolers: Engage in songs, storytelling, acting, and play-based phonics activities to spark a love for language.

✔️ Primary Years: Introduce structured literacy strategies, phonological awareness, and deep comprehension and inferencing techniques.

✔️ Upper Primary & Beyond: Foster critical thinking, argumentation, and analytical reading, not just memorisation.

🔹 Storytelling should feel magical—not a learning chore.

🔹 Reading should be filled with suspense, imagination, and discussion.

🔹 Language should be explored with excitement, not just as a subject in school.

But what if your child is already 6, 8, or even 10 years old? You may ask. Have I missed the boat?

🚨 Not at all!

The Earlier You Know, The Better You Can Help

The first three years of primary school lay the foundation for strong literacy skills. During this time, being enthusiastic, observant, engaged, and proactive can make all the difference.

✨ Pay attention, even to the smallest signs of struggle.

I once assessed a Year 5 student to identify the root of his literacy difficulties. We discovered that he was struggling with many basic skills; he was guessing words instead of decoding sounds (phonemes), which in turn affected his spelling. He didn’t know which letter combinations (graphemes) represented certain sounds, making comprehension an even greater challenge.

His parents had no idea he was struggling because he managed to mask his difficulties by being cooperative and non-disruptive in class. They only realised the issue when his NAPLAN results fell below the minimum standard.

🚨 Many children struggle silently. They learned the coping mechanisms to hide their challenges.

We often hear:

💬 "He will catch up eventually… they all do. One day it’ll just click."

While it is true that children learn at different rates, relying on the hope that they will "catch up" can delay critical intervention. Well-meaning advice like, "Don’t worry, it will happen when the time comes," may unintentionally cause more harm.

If You Have Concerns, Trust Your Instincts

If something does not feel right, do not wait. Early action is key.

🛑 Here’s what you can do:

✔ Talk to their school teacher about any noticeable struggles

✔ Consult a speech therapist for professional insight

✔ Seek guidance from an educational consultant to assess literacy gaps and educational planning

Most importantly, do not see this as a failure, either yours or your child’s. Literacy struggles do not reflect intelligence. They simply mean a child needs the right support at the right time. The earlier we identify challenges, the better we can empower them to succeed.

Understanding NAPLAN results

NAPLAN can also be a good indicator and picking up learning gaps. Just like the Year 5 student I mentioned earlier, his parents noticed the probem because of his NAPLAN results. While there is plenty of criticism about NAPLAN, it does provide critical data to address learning gaps early.

🚨 Yet many parents feel lost when interpreting NAPLAN results because they don’t know how to translate the reports into tangible support for their children.

To many parents, the report looks “too generic.” Many of us grew up bringing home the actual exam papers, where we could zoom in on the wrong answers and learn to correct them. That felt more “specific,” isn't it? But in reality, it’s a generalisation of what the student does or doesn’t know too. But that's a different topic to talk about the testing system of the past.

So, besides NAPLAN and school-based assessments, if parents want more actionable insights and tangible action plans, consider literacy assessments.

✨ A literacy assessment functions much like a visit to a GP. Just as a doctor examines symptoms before recommending a specialist, literacy assessments identify specific challenges and offer targeted solutions to support your child’s learning journey.

Literacy Assessments: The Key to Unlocking Potential

A literacy assessment is like a map through a dense forest, revealing hidden challenges and guiding your child’s learning journey.

🛑 It’s not about pinpointing failure; it is about identifying strengths and areas for growth.

Just like visiting a doctor for a check-up, a literacy assessment provides a clear diagnosis and an actionable plan to support your child. The earlier you act, the easier it is to bridge gaps and set them up for success.

Ready to Take the First Step?

If you're wondering where your child stands in their literacy journey, a comprehensive assessment can provide valuable insights.

Book an Assessment & Consultation

Evidence-based literacy assessments to identify specific reading difficulties like phonemic awareness, decoding skills, spelling, reading anxiety, and reading comprehension.