High potential and gifted education

Our teachers are dedicated to identifying students with high potential through objective, reliable, and valid assessment methods. These assessments play a key role in our formative approach, guiding teaching and learning across creative, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional domains.

Teachers consistently assess and recognise the specific learning needs of all high potential, gifted, and highly gifted students, ensuring that each student has access to tailored programs and support that meet their unique learning needs.

Our planning is informed by the belief that teachers should maintain high expectations for all students. We recognise that every student requires differentiated and evidence-based learning opportunities to optimise their growth and achievement.

We collaborate closely with families, the school community, and the broader community, and engage in ongoing professional learning to build teacher capacity. This collaborative approach enhances the growth and achievement of all high potential and gifted students. Through these efforts, our teachers are committed to fostering high performance and supporting talent development for every student.

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 Heckenberg Public School, we recognise that high potential is evident in diverse ways across our student population. Our approach to High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) is embedded in everyday teaching and learning and is underpinned by formative assessment, evidence-informed practice, and purposeful differentiation to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

The following evidence-based teaching strategies are used across classrooms to support and extend all learners:

Formative Assessment

Teachers regularly use diagnostic tools, observations, and student self-assessment to identify individual strengths and areas for development across multiple domains. This ongoing assessment provides timely information that informs lesson planning and differentiation, supporting continuous student growth and engagement.

Flexible Grouping and Differentiation

Learning experiences are designed with varying levels of complexity and challenge. Students work independently, in pairs, or in flexible groups based on learning needs, interests, or abilities. This approach ensures appropriate challenge while promoting collaboration, leadership, motivation, and the development of social skills.

High Expectations

Teachers maintain high expectations for all students by designing learning goals that promote higher-order thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Students are encouraged to set personal learning goals and reflect on their progress, fostering a growth mindset, resilience, and self-belief, and supporting deeper learning and improved achievement.

Student Voice and Leadership

Students are provided with opportunities to take on leadership roles within classroom learning, projects, and school initiatives aligned to their interests and strengths. They are actively involved in goal setting and self-reflection, supporting ownership of learning, motivation, and the development of leadership skills.

Professional Learning and Collaboration

Teachers at Heckenberg Public School engage in ongoing professional learning focused on HPGE practices and collaborate regularly to share expertise and develop differentiated curriculum units. This collective approach strengthens teaching practice and ensures consistent, high-quality learning experiences that support talent development for all students.

Across our school

At Heckenberg Public School, High Potential and Gifted Education is an integral part of our core business. We are committed to identifying and nurturing the diverse strengths and talents of all students by providing flexible, inclusive, and enriching learning opportunities that support development across academic, creative, social, and physical domains.

Some of the opportunities available to support students with their talent development:

Creative Domain

Dance Group
Choir Group
School Music Festival
Lunch time creative groups

Physical Domain

School Sport
GOT Game
School Cross Country Carnival
School Athletics Carnival
School Swimming Carnival

Intellectual

STEM Initiatives
Ashcroft STEM Challenge
Sydney Writers Festival
Public Speaking Competition

Social Emotional

School Representative Council
Sport House Captains
Children's Parliament
Peer Support groups

Across NSW

At Heckenberg Public School, we actively engage in a range of statewide competitions and enrichment activities that provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves, extend their abilities, and strive for excellence.

Through these experiences, we ensure that students’ individual strengths and talents are identified, nurtured, and celebrated.

The following opportunities are available: