High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

High Potential and Gifted Education is woven into our everyday learning experiences. Many students exhibit exceptional talents, and we are committed to fostering these strengths into meaningful achievements.

Our teachers identify individual learning needs within the classroom and use evidence-based teaching strategies that extend and challenge students’ abilities. We provide diverse learning pathways including enrichment programs, extension tasks, and acceleration options when appropriate. Identification of gifted and high potential learners occurs across cognitive, creative, physical, and social-emotional domains, with valuable insights from families welcomed and encouraged. This information is communicated school-wide to ensure every learner receives effective support.

We cultivate nurturing classrooms that promote belonging, creativity, risk-taking, and collaboration. Gifted students, especially in the cognitive domain, receive tailored instruction that matches their level of challenge, engaging in open-ended tasks and enrichment opportunities.

Key features of our approach include flexible groupings, leadership roles, and strength-based feedback paired with clear goals and self-assessment.

Our teaching aligns closely with the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy, supporting giftedness across these four vital domains:

• Creative Domain: Encouraging original ideas, creative problem-solving, and artistic expression.

• Intellectual (Cognitive) Domain: Delivering challenging learning that supports advanced thinking and inquiry.

• Physical Domain: Promoting physical development and wellbeing through activities that build coordination and skills.

• Social-Emotional Domain: Enhancing emotional resilience, self-awareness, and positive social engagement.

At Brighton-Le-Sands Public School, we are dedicated to nurturing the whole child by recognising and supporting the potential of each student across these domains, empowering all learners to succeed.

Across our school

We offer a broad range of initiatives to support and enrich our HPGE students both within the school and in the wider community. Our programs are designed to nurture talents across multiple domains, providing students with pathways to excel and engage beyond the classroom.

Students have access to enrichment activities such as Maths Olympiad, Book Club, and STEM-related programs including podcasting, robotics, and coding.

Our creative arts opportunities include dance ensembles, choir, and inter-school creative arts events, enabling students to develop artistic skills and collaborate with peers.

For students with sporting interests, we provide school teams and representative sporting pathways that promote physical development and teamwork. Leadership abilities are fostered through participation in the Student Representative Council, Sporting House Leadership Teams, Student Executive, and other leadership roles.

We also nurture communication and critical thinking skills through public speaking and debating programs. Furthermore, students can engage in a variety of academic competitions designed to challenge and enhance their intellectual growth.

Brighton-Le-Sands Public School remains committed to delivering a rich and diverse HPGE experience that supports gifted learners to thrive across every aspect of their development, both within our school and the broader community.

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.
• Participation in music ensembles (e.g. SPAF) hones our students’ musical skills, discipline and ensemble awareness.
• 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.