Page 42 - Education Supplement February 2026

EDITORIAL

We carry them to

matric – then the

support disappears

or many families, finishing Her insight is not rooted in pessimism, but in experience. Schools like hers work
school feels like the end of a hard to ensure learners reach the end of formal schooling safely. What happens
Flong and difficult road. After next is far less predictable.
years of advocacy, adjustment, and
careful support, matric is crossed Schools are judged on outcomes, not trajectories
with relief. The assumption is Within the schooling system, success is measured in outcomes that are easy
understandable: once school is done, to quantify: subject passes, endorsement levels, and progression rates. These
the hardest part must surely be over. metrics matter, but they tell only part of the story.

In reality, for many neurodivergent Robinson speaks openly about the pressure schools face to meet departmental
and twice-exceptional young expectations that are often designed around mainstream learners. Environments
people, it is where a new and quieter that prioritise emotional safety, individual pacing, and personalised support
struggle begins. are still expected to perform against benchmarks that do not always reflect the
realities of their learners.
This gap – between the structured
support of school and the Despite this, many schools succeed in getting students over the line. With
expectations of the adult world – scaffolding, understanding, and sustained support, learners complete matric
came up repeatedly in my recent and leave school having achieved something significant.
conversation with Barbra Robinson,
executive principal of Orion College. What is less often planned for is what happens next.

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