The following information is for parents/guardians of children in Year 3 or Year 5. Students will be sitting NAPLAN 2026 starting in Term 1- Week 6, Wednesday, 11th March, with the NAPLAN window open until Week 8, Monday, 23rd March. In consultation with the school, students whose parents have applied for withdrawal will not sit all or some of the NAPLAN assessments. Confirmation of your child’s withdrawal will be sent to the parent’s email address or made by phone.

NAPLAN assessments are scheduled in a specific order and held in the Library with a dedicated LAN network.

More information for parents about NAPLAN is below. However, all parents should have received a hard copy of “NAPLAN Online: Information for parents and carers” by Week 4. You can download it here if you didn’t receive it or misplaced your document. In addition, please take the time to read the information below, which is mostly taken from the NAPLAN website. You can also access these documents via the following links.

NAPLAN 2026 Parent Information Brochure

NAPLAN Parent Information Brochure Translated

• Arabic (PDF 414 KB)
• Bosnian (PDF 353 KB)
• Burmese (PDF 404 KB)
• Simplified Chinese (PDF 634 KB)
• Traditional Chinese (PDF 630 KB)
• Dari (PDF 421 KB)
• Filipino (PDF 326 KB)
• Hindi (PDF 403 KB)
• Indonesian (PDF 332 KB)
• Khmer (PDF 356 KB)
• Persian (PDF 418 KB)
• Punjabi (PDF 351 KB)
• Samoan (PDF 345 KB)
• Serbian (PDF 324 KB)
• Sinhalese (PDF 393 KB)
• Somali (PDF 333 KB)
• Spanish (PDF 338 KB)
• Turkish (PDF 339 KB)
• Vietnamese (PDF 331 KB)

Below is the mandated NAPLAN assessment sequence.

Download the above test window infographic.

Familiarising the Year 3 & 5 Students with NAPLAN

Year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN practice sessions in their classrooms to familiarise themselves with the structure, tools, content, and how to interact with NAPLAN online. They will also have a simulated NAPLAN test session, during which they practice the login procedure and complete a practice online omnibus test with no results recorded. If you, as a parent, would like to see a demonstration site of what your child will be engaging with, you can click on the public demonstration site http://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site 

Note that the questions on the public demonstration site are not indicative of the question content that will be in the actual NAPLAN 2026 assessments.

NAPLAN Online test window

The NAPLAN Online test window is nine days. Day 1 is a Wednesday (11th March), and Day 9 is the Monday of the third week of NAPLAN (23rd March)

The Year 3 writing test must be completed within 4 days, the Year 5 writing test within 2 days, and schools must schedule writing from the first day of the appropriate 2-day test window. For Year 5, the writing window is Days 1 and 2.

The tests need to be taken in a specific order.

For Years 3 and 5, the online test sequence is as follows:

1. Writing (paper for Year 3 only)
2. Reading
3. Conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
4. Numeracy.

NAPLAN 2026 Timetable

Term 1, Week 6, Week Starting 11th March

Access to NAPLAN test papers and answers

• NAPLAN test papers and answers from 2012 to 2016
• NAPLAN test papers and answers from 2008 to 2011

All students in the school are familiar with online assessments as they have had experience with ACER online Numeracy and Reading assessments since Year 1- known as PAT Maths and Comprehension assessments. These are conducted annually and form part of Forest Crescent Primary School’s numeracy and literacy assessment platform.

The demonstration tests cover a sample of possible questions and do not reflect the range of literacy and numeracy content or skills NAPLAN Online will assess.

Our school’s NAPLAN assessment schedule is listed above. Whilst previous load testing of our network has determined that our proposed schedule can be accommodated, assessment sessions may change due to technical issues with the network or other circumstances. If this does happen, then parents will be advised of any changes.

Don’t Overprepare for NAPLAN

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students learn through the school curriculum. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the test formats and provide appropriate support and guidance. Excessive preparation is not helpful and can lead to unnecessary anxiety. If you have questions about your child’s preparation for NAPLAN, please speak with your child’s teacher.

NAPLAN tests are constructed to allow students to demonstrate skills they have learnt over time through the school curriculum. NAPLAN test days should be treated as another routine event on the school calendar. The best way to help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure them that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program and to advise them to do their best on the day.

ACARA does not recommend using commercial products like booklets and practice tests to help your child prepare for NAPLAN tests. None of the commercial products currently on the market are endorsed by ACARA. The use of coaching providers’ services is not recommended.

To help prepare your child, please ensure they have a good night’s sleep, a suitable breakfast, and arrive at school on time, as some classes will be set up for the testing session at 8:45am in the Library.

Participating in NAPLAN

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN tests inform you how your child is progressing against national standards. This information can help identify areas where your child may benefit from additional assistance. NAPLAN does not replace, but complements, assessments conducted by your child’s classroom teacher throughout the year.

Adjustments can be provided to students with disabilities to enable them to access tests on an equal basis with students without disabilities.

Some students attending school in Australia for less than a year before the tests may also be eligible for exemption. Exemptions should be discussed with your child’s school.

Parents or carers may withdraw their children from tests for religious or philosophical reasons. It is recommended that you consider withdrawal in consultation with your child’s school.

Wherever possible, schools will organise for individual students absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during the test window.

If you have any queries about NAPLAN, either have a chat with your child’s teacher or Mr Combes (Deputy Principal-Coordinator of NAPLAN 2026)

FCPS

Forest Crescent Primary

The above information is provided by the Forest Crescent Primary School administration and staff to share, inform and celebrate our school community.