Page 43 - Education Supplement February 2026
P. 43
EDITORIAL
The cliff edge after school The missing handover – and why it matters
Once school ends, the systems One of the most significant gaps is the absence of a meaningful handover
that held these learners in place between school and the adult world. Schools spend years building a deep
largely fall away. Universities, understanding of how a learner thinks, learns, and copes under pressure. That
colleges, workplaces, and training knowledge rarely transfers beyond the school setting.
environments operate on very
different assumptions. Independence There is no standard way to translate learning profiles into tertiary
is expected. Self-advocacy is or workplace contexts. No shared language between education and
assumed. Flexibility is limited. employment. No expectation that understanding should continue once formal
schooling ends.
Robinson notes that the wider world
is far less forgiving than school. Where handovers do work – often informally, through proactive parents or
There are fewer intermediaries, forward-thinking institutions – young people are far more likely to settle,
fewer accommodations, and far less adapt, and build confidence. Where they do not, families often find themselves
tolerance for differences that are not starting from scratch, once again explaining, advocating, and translating.
immediately understood. Behaviours
that were previously contextualised What helps bridge the gap
are now interpreted as attitude, This is not a problem with a single solution, and it is not one schools can solve
incompetence, or lack of effort. alone. But certain practices make a measurable difference.
This does not mean young people are Young people who are gradually prepared for adult expectations, rather than
unprepared. It means the environment abruptly exposed to them, cope better. This includes explicit support around
has changed faster than the support self-advocacy, realistic conversations about workplace culture, and help
structures around it. understanding when and how to ask for accommodations.
When understanding stops at Equally important is awareness beyond the school system. Tertiary institutions
the school gate and employers who understand that neurodivergent profiles do not disappear
A recurring misconception is that at 18 are better able to retain capable students and employees. Small
support during school years “fixes” adjustments, clear communication, and informed expectations often prevent
the problem. Parents are often led to difficulties from escalating into failure.
believe that once a child has made it
through matric, they are equipped to For parents, this stage benefits from planning earlier than most expect.
cope independently. Conversations about post-school pathways, support structures, and
environments that value difference are often more helpful than focusing solely
What is overlooked is that school on marks.
success is often the result of intentional
design: smaller classes, flexible A wider responsibility
assessment, trusted relationships, Schools play a critical role in holding learners through their formal education,
and adults who know how to interpret but they should not be expected to compensate indefinitely for a lack of
behaviour through a developmental understanding elsewhere.
lens. Remove those conditions, and
the same young person can suddenly If we can adapt environments for children, it is worth asking why that
appear to struggle again. adaptability so often disappears once they become young adults.
This is not regression. It is exposure. Supporting learners through school matters.
Recognising this difference matters Ensuring that understanding does not abruptly end afterwards matters just
because it shifts the question away as much.
from “Why is my child struggling
again?” to “What has changed in the Bridging that gap does not require perfection. It requires continuity – and a
environment, and what support has shared commitment to recognising that learning profiles do not expire at the
fallen away?” school gate.
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