High potential and gifted education
Our vision: Woongarrah Public School identifies early, teaches purposefully and extends high potential so every learner thrives.
At Woongarrah Public School, we are committed to nurturing every student to grow and thrive across learning, wellbeing and personal development. Our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) approach provides purposeful enrichment and extension opportunities that challenge and engage students, supporting them to achieve their personal best.
At Woongarrah Public School, we maintain high expectations by identifying, nurturing and extending high potential and gifted students through inclusive identification, evidence-informed differentiation and enriched learning opportunities, ensuring every learner reaches their full potential across all domains.
We identify and support students who demonstrate high potential across the intellectual, creative, physical and social-emotional domains, recognising that children develop at different rates and require varying levels of challenge over time. Our approach to HPGE is inclusive, flexible and responsive, ensuring that potential is recognised early and developed through targeted support and quality teaching practice.
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
We recognise that 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 learning tasks that adjust pace, complexity and depth to meet individual needs.
- Explicit teaching that builds strong foundations and develops critical and creative thinking.
- Ongoing formative assessment used to monitor progress and inform teaching adjustments.
- Advanced learning pathways, including acceleration or compacted content where appropriate.
- Flexible grouping that supports collaboration, problem-solving and presentation of ideas.
- Learning experiences that promote choice, authenticity and higher-order thinking.
- Strengths-based feedback and clear goal setting to guide student growth.
- Supportive and safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking and perseverance.
- Structured opportunities for student leadership within the classroom.
- Reflection and self-assessment practices that help students understand and extend their learning.
- Academic competitions
- STEM and coding clubs
- Student leadership (SRC)
- Student voice groups
- Performing arts showcases
- Debating and public speaking competitions
- Sporting teams and competitions
- The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
- 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.
- Newcastle Permanent Mathematics Competition
- ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools)
- Matsh Olympiad Years 5 and 6
-
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities and groups.
- Integrated Technologies
- Coding
- 3D printing and design
- Teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving skills
- Woongarrah Public School Public Speaking Competition
- Central Coast Public Speaking Competition
- Gardening Club (Environmental awareness)
- Writing competitions
- Premier Spelling Bee
- Stage 2 dance group
- Stage 3 girls dance group
- Stage 3 boys dance group
- Central Coast Dance Festival
- Dance X competition
- Aboriginal Cultural Groups including Didge group
- School Choir
- Central Coast Choral Festival (festival runs biennially, in odd calendar years)
- School Sport, Athletics and inter-school competitions
- Representative school sport pathways
- Carnivals: Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country
- Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) Competitions: Netball, Soccer, Oz-Tag, Rugby League and Basketball
- Public School’s Swim Scheme
- Student leadership
- 3-6 student parliament
- Sports house leadership
- Student Voice Group
- Central Coast Student Voice Ambassadors Project - across the Central Coast
- Public Speaking Competition
- Interest-based lunch time clubs
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.