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.

In our classroom

At Springdale Heights Public School, we are committed to recognising, supporting, and extending high potential and gifted students so every learner can achieve personal excellence.
Our classrooms provide challenging, engaging, and flexible learning opportunities through:

Differentiated teaching – lessons are designed with varied pace, complexity, and depth to match individual student strengths and interests.
Flexible groupings – students collaborate, share ideas, and learn from one another in changing group settings.
Inquiry-based and enrichment tasks – opportunities for students to think critically, solve problems creatively, and explore topics in greater depth.
Targeted learning goals – personalised objectives that encourage growth and self-reflection.
Strengths-based feedback – feedback that celebrates achievement and guides next steps in learning.
Leadership and peer mentoring – opportunities for students to take initiative, support classmates, and demonstrate leadership within the classroom.
Tailored physical and practical activities – in subjects such as PDHPE, movement tasks and skill practice are adjusted to meet varying ability levels.
Advanced and accelerated learning options – pathways that allow students to move ahead faster or extend their learning through additional challenges.
Data-informed planning – ongoing assessment and observation help teachers identify high potential and ensure appropriate extension and support.

Together, these practices create a learning environment where high potential and gifted learners are supported to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Across our school

Our staff regularly engage in professional development to ensure the most current research-based practices are being used.

Students are able to engage in opportunities including:

Student Representative Council
Extension and Extra-curricular opportunities
Debating
Peer mentoring
Student leadership opportunities
Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives
Public speaking
Sporting opportunities
STEM and coding clubs
Choir and music groups
Creative Arts groups
Learn to swim
Cultural activities
Excursions and incursions
Lunchtime and interest-based groups
Leadership camps

Across NSW

We provide access to local, state and national competitions and events to help students explore and extend their talents.

The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and professional learning.
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.
Involvement in the Game Changer Challenge empowers our students to solve future-focused problems using design thinking.
The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
The Lions' Public Speaking Competition helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.