High potential and gifted education

Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may shine in creativity, thinking, leadership or sport.

Gulmarrad Public School remains committed to continuously refining its HPGE practices to ensure students with high potential and giftedness are identified early, supported effectively and provided with meaningful opportunities to thrive across all domains of learning.

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.

Our approach focuses on four key domains

Creative Domain
Students are provided with opportunities to develop creativity, originality and expressive skills through visual and performing arts, cultural workshops, music, drama and creative problem-solving experiences.

Intellectual (Cognitive) Domain
Students demonstrating high potential are extended through enriched classroom learning, extension tasks, targeted workshops, academic competitions and opportunities that promote higher-order thinking, deep understanding and challenge.

Physical Domain
Students are supported to develop physical potential through school sport, carnivals, representative pathways and targeted sporting opportunities that build skill, fitness, teamwork and resilience.

Social-Emotional Domain
We prioritise student wellbeing, confidence and connection, supporting high potential students to develop resilience, self-awareness and positive relationships through leadership opportunities, collaborative learning and supportive teacher guidance.

In our classroom

At Gulmarrad Public School, HPGE is embedded within everyday teaching and learning. Teachers identify students demonstrating high potential or giftedness across the cognitive, creative, physical and social-emotional domains, using professional judgement informed by assessment data, classroom observations and family input.

Teachers implement evidence-based strategies to support these learners, including:

differentiated learning tasks
enrichment and extension activities
flexible grouping
open-ended learning experiences
goal setting and feedback focused on strengths

Classroom environments are designed to encourage curiosity, creativity, collaboration and a willingness to take intellectual risks. Students are supported to work at an appropriate level of challenge and to develop confidence in their abilities.

Across our school and beyond

Gulmarrad Public School provides a range of HPGE opportunities that extend students beyond the classroom and connect them with peers who share similar interests or strengths.

Students have opportunities to participate in:

PEAC and enrichment workshops
creative and performing arts experiences, including music, choir and performance events
academic competitions such as ICAS, Maths Olympiad and spelling challenges
chess, debating and public speaking
sporting pathways through school, zone, regional and state representation
leadership opportunities, including SRC and school leadership roles

Student feedback indicates that these opportunities help students work at a higher level, develop new skills, build confidence and connect with other students who share similar talents and interests. A strong majority of students report increased motivation, enjoyment and willingness to participate in future HPGE opportunities, highlighting the positive impact of these experiences on engagement and wellbeing.