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.
Our approach focuses on four key domains:
- Creative Domain: We provide opportunities for students to develop innovative thinking and artistic expression, encouraging originality and problem-solving through diverse creative activities.
- Intellectual Domain: We challenge students with enriched learning experiences that promote higher-order thinking, deep inquiry, and advanced knowledge across the curriculum.
- Physical Domain: Recognising the importance of physical development, we support students in enhancing their coordination, health, and physical skills through targeted activities and sports.
- Social-Emotional Domain: We prioritise the emotional wellbeing and social development of gifted students, fostering resilience, self-awareness, and positive relationships to help them thrive within our school community.
At Berkeley West Public School, we are dedicated to implementing the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy by providing a comprehensive, student-centred approach that nurtures the potential of every learner across these four domains.
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.
- Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
- Opportunities to take on lead roles in physical demonstrations or team strategy.
- Strengths-based feedback and goal setting.
- Structured peer collaboration and reflection.
- Safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.
- Public speaking and debating
- LEGO, art, dance clubs
- Academic competitions
- School concerts
- Peer mentoring/coaching
- Student leadership (Captains, prefects, SRC and Aboriginal Leadership Team)
- Wellbeing programs
- Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
- The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
- The Southern Stars Spectacular is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across Illawarra and South Coast public schools.
- 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 events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
Opportunities in the Intellectual Domain
- Differentiated learning programs and provisions in every classroom
- ICAS (international competition in Mathematics, Science etc)
- STRIVE High Potential and Gifted class for successful Year 5 students
- Writing Competitions (Write On)
- School and Community of Schools Public Speaking and Debating Competitions
- NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee and Reading Challenge
- Science Competitions
- Lunchtime Interest Clubs (chess, Lego, digital coding/Scratch, Canva, Book Creator)
- Individualisedresearchtasks/project-based learning
Opportunities in the Physical Domain
- Primary School Sport Association (PSSA) interschool competitions
- Sport Carnivals – District, zone/regional & state (Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics)
- District/Zone sports trials (various sports)
- Facilitating sporting sessions/coaching for younger students by older students
- NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge
- Sports competitions (Sketch Olympics, handball comp)
- Sporting Schools funded programs and coaches
- After school athletics practice/extension
Opportunities in the Social-Emotional Domain
- Leadership (School Captains, Prefects, Student representative Council, Aboriginal Leadership Team, Sports/House Captains)
- Lunchtime Interest Clubs (chess, Lego, digital coding/SketchUp, Canva, Book Creator)
- GRIP Leadership conference at the University of Wollongong for elected School Student Leadership Team
Opportunities in the Creative Domain
- Lunchtime Interest Clubs (LEGO, dance, drama. art)
- School Choir
- Southern Stars
- Provision of musical instruments and spaces for for practicing
- Performing musical interludes at whole school assemblies and events
- Entry into community, state, national art competitions
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.