High potential and gifted education

At Shellharbour Public School, high potential and gifted education (HPGE) is integrated into our daily learning experiences. Many of our students demonstrate exceptional talents, and we are committed to supporting and developing these strengths into meaningful achievements.

Our teachers identify each student’s learning needs within the classroom and apply evidence-based teaching strategies to extend and challenge their abilities. We provide a variety of learning pathways, including enrichment programs, extension tasks, and acceleration when suitable. Students are identified by teachers (with family insights welcome and encouraged) as having high potential or giftedness across the cognitive, creative, physical, or social-emotional domains. This information is shared throughout the school to ensure effective support for every learner.

We create nurturing classroom environments that foster a sense of belonging, encourage creativity, risk-taking, and collaboration. Gifted students, particularly in the cognitive domain, receive targeted instruction to meet their individual level of challenge. They engage in open-ended activities and enrichment opportunities.

Flexible groupings, leadership opportunities, and feedback centred on strengths with clear goals and self-assessment are key features of our approach.

Our practices align with the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy, which highlights the importance of supporting giftedness across four essential domains:

• Creative Domain: Supporting students to develop original ideas and express themselves through creative thinking, problem-solving, and artistic pursuits.
• Intellectual (Cognitive) Domain: Offering challenging learning experiences that nurture advanced thinking, deep inquiry, and intellectual development.
• Physical Domain: Encouraging physical growth and wellbeing through activities that improve coordination, health, and physical skills.
• Social-Emotional Domain: Promoting emotional resilience, self-awareness, and positive social interactions to support the wellbeing of gifted learners.

At Shellharbour Public School, we are dedicated to fostering the whole child by recognising and nurturing each student’s potential across these four domains, ensuring every learner is empowered to succeed.

At Shellharbour Public School, we offer a wide range of opportunities to support and enrich our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students both within the school and the wider community. Our programs are designed to nurture talents across multiple domains, providing pathways for students to excel and engage beyond the classroom.

We offer diverse Creative Arts opportunities, including dance ensembles and whole school performances allowing students to develop their artistic talents and collaborate with peers.

For those with sporting interests, we have school sporting teams and representative sporting pathways that encourage physical development and teamwork. Leadership skills are cultivated through involvement in the Student Representative Council and various school leadership roles.

We also support students in developing their communication and critical thinking abilities through Public Speaking and Debating programs. Additionally, our students have the chance to participate in a variety of academic competitions that challenge and extend their intellectual growth.

At Shellharbour Public School, we are committed to providing a rich and varied HPGE experience that empowers gifted learners to thrive across all areas of their development, both within our school community and beyond.

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

• Student participate in opportunities such as Southern Stars, Wakikirri, Premier's Spelling Bee, Reading Challenge and Sporting challenge and DaVinci Decathlon