High potential and gifted education
Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may shine in creativity, thinking, leadership or sport.
At our school, we recognise and nurture these strengths early. We support advanced learners with great lessons and activities to help them grow and thrive.
Why choose us for your high potential or gifted child?
Recognising potential and developing talent
Our teachers find potential and nurture our students to be the best they can be.
Tailored lessons
Each student has different abilities. Teachers respond to each student’s ability by providing extra challenges and extension activities to keep learning exciting and engaging.
Rich opportunities and activities
Students can take part in opportunities to develop their talent in the arts, sport, leadership and more.
Opening doors to wider experiences
Our students can participate in a wide range of state-wide opportunities that aim to extend and enrich student potential.
What is high potential and gifted education?
High potential and gifted education (HPGE) is how our school supports students with advanced learning needs.
We do this through:
- effective teaching strategies like enrichment, extension and acceleration
- tailored support during lessons that stretch, challenge and inspire
- access to a wide range of opportunities both within and beyond our school.
Our high potential and gifted education opportunities
Our students engage with HPGE education in the classroom, in our school, and across NSW.
- Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.
- Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
- Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
- Opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth.
- Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
- Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
- Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE.
- Targeted learning goals for coordination, agility, and control.
- Supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment.
- Strengths-based feedback and goal setting.
- Opportunities for leadership within the classroom.
- Structured peer collaboration and reflection.
- Safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.
- Use of learning intentions and success criteria so students know what high-level success looks like and can self-monitor.
- Use of digital platforms and tools (e.g. discipline-specific apps) to provide extension, enrichment and alternative modes of response.
- Early identification and ongoing monitoring of high-potential learners using class assessment data and teacher observations.
- Co-curricular Dance, Drama, Music, Film and Technical companies and ensemble performances at school showcases and festivals at the regional, state and international levels.
- Debating teams.
- Academic competitions.
- Sport squads, including knock-out competitions and representative pathways.
- Creative writing competitions.
- STEM excursions.
- Peer mentoring.
- Student leadership including SEED, prefects, house captains and Performing Arts Leadership roles.
- Wellbeing programs.
- Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives
- Student-led clubs including Poetry Club and Model Making club.
- The Schools Spectacular is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across NSW public schools.
- Participation in The Arts Unit drama companies and ensembles promotes character exploration, storytelling and expressive freedom for our high potential and gifted drama students.
- Music ensemble performances at Sydney Opera House, Town Hall, Manly Jazz Festival, Cantabile Festival, Seymour Centre and with The Arts Unit hones our students' musical skills, discipline and ensemble awareness.
- Participation in state-wide dance ensembles and festivals promotes advanced technique, artistry and performance excellence for our high potential and gifted dance students.
- The Premier's Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.
- Our STEM Enrichment Excursions deepen our students' intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
- The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA and CHSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
- Students are supported to apply to the Minister’s Student Council, which is the peak forum for interaction between NSW public school students, NSW Education and the NSW Minister for Education.
For more information about opportunities across all subjects, see our full High Potential and Gifted Education Policy.
Help for your high potential child
If your child shows signs of high potential, contact us. We can share how our HPGE support can guide their learning journey.
Student opportunities and activities
Discover the opportunities our students have at our school.
Learning
Find out about our approach to learning and supporting students to progress