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.
Why choose us for your high potential or gifted child?
At Lavington Public School, we proudly align our approach with the NSW Department of Education’s High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) policy, recognising the unique strengths and needs of gifted and high potential students within our community. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment that challenges and extends all learners, ensuring they are engaged, motivated, and empowered to reach their full potential.
Our programs at Lavington Public School are thoughtfully designed to identify and nurture giftedness across multiple domains, reflecting the Department’s holistic emphasis on catering to the whole child. By embracing a broad understanding of giftedness, we strive to promote excellence not only academically but also creatively, physically, and socially, preparing our students for lifelong success and wellbeing.
Our approach specifically focuses on four key domains:
Physical Domain
We support the physical development of students by enhancing their coordination, health, and physical skills through targeted activities and sports programs.
Intellectual Domain
Our enriched learning experiences challenge students with advanced thinking, deep inquiry, and comprehensive knowledge across the curriculum.
Social-Emotional Domain
Prioritising emotional wellbeing and social growth, we cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and positive relationships to help gifted students thrive within our school community.
Creative Domain
We offer opportunities for students to develop innovation and artistic expression, encouraging originality and problem-solving through a variety of creative pursuits.
At Lavington Public School, our dedication to the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy ensures a comprehensive, student-centred approach that nurtures the potential of every learner across these four domains.
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
In our classroom
At Lavington Public School, HPGE lives in everyday practice. Many students have high potential, and we help that potential to grow into something powerful.
- Teachers identify students' learning needs in the classroom and use evidence-informed teaching practices to challenge and extend students. We provide learning pathways, including enrichment and extension programs and acceleration.
- Our supportive classroom environments promote a sense of belonging and encourage risk-taking, creativity and collaboration.
- Groups are flexible, students take lead roles, and feedback is strengths-based with clear goals and self-assessment.
- Our teachers engage in professional learning to support the diverse needs of all students, including our high potential and gifted learners.
In and around our school
Every student is individual, so opportunities are flexible and diverse.
- Students deepen strengths through debating, competitions, critical thinking workshops, and STEM and coding pathways like Chess Club and Stage 3 Science Discovery Days.
- Talent is celebrated through school productions and showcases such as Our bi-annual Arts Festival, our end of year Lavi's Got Talent, visual arts, Guitar Group, K-2 choir, Riverina Dance Troupe and our very first First Nations Dance Group.
- Leadership grows through SRC Leadership Team, Sporting House Captains, class representitives, mentoring and peer coaching, and wellbeing is made visible with PBL awards, our Wellbeing Space, various social clubs and interest opportunities.
- Daily life invites curiosity and belonging, with Open Library at lunch and Breakfast Club, plus clubs like Writing Club and Photography Club.
- Sport matters too, with PSSA sport, training, coaching and school, zone, riverina and state carnivals, as well as inclusive sport competitions and Gala days that include differentiated PE.
Statewide
Our students participate in a wide range of statewide programs to extend and enrich student potential.
- Students participate in opportunities such as Aurora College, APSMO Maths Olympiad, DoE WriteOn, Premier’s Spelling Bee, Premier’s Multicultural Public Speaking, Dorothea Mackellar Poetry, ACF Wild at Art, and Premier's Debating Challenge.
- Statewide and NSW Department of Education support is available for high potential and gifted students, and we help with entries, preparation and reflection so every experience feeds back into learning.
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.