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?
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.
- Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.
- Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
- Explicit teaching of all key learning area content.
- Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
- Flexible grouping for phonics acquisition K to 2 and spelling 3 to 6.
- Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE.
- Targeted learning goals in literacy and numeracy linked to success criteria.
- Opportunities to take on lead roles in physical demonstrations or team strategy.
- 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.
- Debating and Public Speaking
- Minecraft Club, Port Stephens Film by the Water, and Robo Cup challenge.
- Academic competitions - Bridge Building, ICAS Competitions and Newcastle Permanent Maths Competition.
- Junior and Senior Dance Groups.
- Music ensembles - School Band, Rock Band and School Choir.
- Creative writing groups - Rotary Writing and Port Stephens Creative Writing Group.
- Inclusive Sports - Boccia, Ten Pin Bowling.
- House competitions - Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals.
- Peer mentoring - K - 6 Buddy Program and PBL Power Spotters.
- Student leadership (SRC) and Junior AECG
- Wellbeing programs - 'Second Step'
- Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives including Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) and Community PBL.
- 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.
- Star Struck is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across Hunter public schools.
- 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.
Congratulations to the students of Medowie Public School for their incredible work on the Film By The Waters project! Our students wrote their own scripts, filmed and produced their own short films. We are proud to share that some of these films were selected for screening at Scotties Cinema.
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