High potential and gifted education

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

All children have strengths and areas where they excel. At our school, we identify and extend students with high potential across creative, intellectual, physical and social-emotional domains.

Through rich, challenging and supportive learning, we help all students reach their full 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.

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.

Our HPGE framework focuses on four key domains:

Creative domain

Students are encouraged to think innovatively and express their individuality through creative problem-solving, design thinking, and artistic expression across subjects and co-curricular programs.

Intellectual domain

High potential learners are challenged through enrichment and acceleration opportunities embedded in classroom learning. Designed to inspire curiosity, foster critical and analytical thinking, and promote academic excellence.

Physical domain

We recognise and develop students’ strengths in sport, movement, and physical performance through targeted programs such as our PSSA sporting program, whole-school sport, and health-focused initiatives.

Social-Emotional domain

We prioritise student wellbeing and leadership development, cultivating resilience, empathy, and collaboration through programs such as School Leadership Pathways and wellbeing programs such as Peer Mediation.

background

dark

Our high potential and gifted education opportunities

Our students engage with HPGE education in the classroom, in our school, and across NSW.

In our classroom

At Mortlake Public School, HPGE lives in everyday practice. Many students have high potential, and we help that potential to grow into something powerful.

Teachers identify students' learning needs in the classroom and use evidence-informed teaching practices to challenge and extend students.
Our supportive classroom environments promote a sense of belonging and encourage risk-taking, creativity and collaboration.
Groups are flexible, students take lead roles, and feedback is strengths-based with individual goal setting.
Our teachers engage in professional learning to support the diverse needs of all students, including our high potential and gifted learners

Across our school

Every student is individual, so opportunities are flexible and diverse.

Students deepen strengths through debating, performing arts ensembles, passion projects, and STEM and coding opportunities.
Talent is celebrated through showcases such as M’Arias and performing arts ensembles.
Leadership grows through SRC, mentoring and peer coaching, and wellbeing is made visible with PBL awards and celebrations.
Students explore their potential across all domains through HPGE interest groups.
Sport matters too, with PSSA sport, training and coaching that include differentiated PE.

Across NSW

Our students participate in a wide range of statewide programs to extend and enrich student potential.

Interschool sporting, academic and creative competitions.
Inter-school showcases and performances, like Schools Spectacular and Gimbawali.
Representative opportunities across all domains of learning.
Statewide and NSW Department of Education support is available for high potential and gifted students, and we help with entries, preparation and reflection so every experience feeds back into learning.