High potential and gifted education

At Narara Public School, we recognise that every student has unique strengths and abilities. Our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) approach is woven into everyday learning, ensuring all students are challenged, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. 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 additional activities to help them grow and thrive.

Students are identified as having strengths across one or more domains:

Intellectual (cognitive thinking and reasoning)
Creative (original thinking and expression)
Physical (sporting and movement abilities)
Social-Emotional (leadership, empathy, and interpersonal skills)

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

Our Approach:

HPGE is embedded across all classrooms and learning experiences.
Teachers use evidence-based strategies to identify, extend, and challenge students showing high potential.
Families are encouraged to share insights about their child’s strengths and interests to support accurate identification.
Information about student strengths is shared across the school to ensure continuity of support.

Learning Opportunities:

Differentiated and flexible grouping within classrooms to match student needs.
Enrichment and extension tasks that promote curiosity and deep thinking.
Acceleration options where appropriate to provide the right level of challenge.
Leadership opportunities and collaborative projects to develop confidence and teamwork skills.
Feedback that focuses on strengths, growth, and goal setting.

Across our school

Opportunities for High Potential Learners

Students identified with particular strengths may be invited to join additional HPGE groups, teams, or programs. These opportunities extend learning beyond the classroom and include enrichment groups which allows students to collaborate with like-minded peers, explore their passions, and further develop their talents. Our current opportunities include:

Indigenous Cultural Group (K-6)
Peer mentoring program (K-6)
Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives (K-6)
Student Representative Council (Year 2-6)
School Leadership opportunities (Years 2-6)
Debating team (Stage 3)
Public speaking competition (Years K-6)
STEM and coding club (Stage 3)
Mathematics Extension Group (Stage 3)
Creative writing group (Stage 3)
External academic competitions, such as ICAS competitions and the Newcastle Permanent Mathematics Competition (Years 2-6)
Chess Club (K-6)
Central Coast School Showcase (Stage 2/3)
Concert band tuition (Stage 2/3)
Dance Groups (Years 1-6)
Recorder group (Stage 2/3)
Visual arts extension group (Stage 2/3)
Choir (K-6)
PSSA sporting teams, including basketball, netball, rugby league, cricket, soccer and oz-tag (Stage 2/3)

Across NSW

The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
The Premier’s Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.
The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and professional learning.
PSSA sporting events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.