High potential and gifted education

As part of our commitment to students at Rappville Public School, we are committed to aligning our practices with the NSW Department of Education’s High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) Policy, which recognises the diverse abilities, strengths and learning needs of high potential and gifted students. We strive to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment where all students are challenged, engaged and encouraged to achieve their personal best.

We are committed to recognising and nurturing the talents and abilities of all students, including those with high potential and giftedness. In line with the NSW Department of Education’s guidelines and policies, our school strives to provide an inclusive and supportive learning environment that challenges and engages gifted learners. Through differentiated and enriching learning opportunities, we aim to support students to reach their full potential while fostering confidence, motivation and a love of learning. By adopting a broad and inclusive understanding of giftedness, we promote excellence not only in academic achievement, but also in creative, physical and social development, preparing students for lifelong success and wellbeing.

Our approach includes:

Identifying students with high potential through a variety of assessment and observation practices, respecting diverse backgrounds and strengths.
Offering differentiated learning opportunities tailored to extend and enrich the curriculum.
Providing professional development for staff to deliver effective teaching strategies that meet the needs of gifted students.
Ensuring equity and access so that all students, regardless of their background, have opportunities to reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture where high potential and gifted education is an integral part of our school community, helping every learner thrive and achieve excellence.

Our HPGE approach is guided by four key domains:

Creative Domain:
Students are encouraged to explore innovative thinking and creative expression through a range of artistic and problem-solving opportunities that foster originality and imagination.

Intellectual Domain:
We provide enriched and challenging learning experiences that promote higher-order thinking, deep inquiry and advanced understanding across all curriculum areas.

Physical Domain:
Recognising the importance of physical development, we support students in building coordination, fitness and physical skills through structured activities, sport and active participation.

Social-Emotional Domain:
We place a strong emphasis on student wellbeing, supporting the social and emotional development of high potential and gifted learners by fostering resilience, self-awareness and positive relationships within our school community.

At Rappville Public School, we recognise and nurture these strengths early. We support advanced learners with modified 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 Rappville Public School, we acknowledge that high potential manifests in diverse ways among all students. We challenge our students to think, create, lead and grow every day. This is achieved through:

Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking across all KLAs.
Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
Supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment.
Strengths-based feedback and goal setting.
Opportunities for leadership within the classroom.
Structured peer collaboration and reflection.
Safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.
Small Group Tuition

Across our school

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

Interschool sport competitions
STEM and coding clubs
Academic competitions
Representative sport pathways
Dance groups
Critical thinking workshops
School musicals and performances
Creative writing groups
Sport squads
Cultural programs
Student leadership grows through mentoring and buddy programs, and GRIP Leadership.
Wellbeing programs
Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
Curriculum aligned excursions & incursions

Across NSW

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

The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
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.