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.
At Rylstone 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.
- Our teachers engage in professional learning to support the diverse needs of all students, including our high potential and gifted learners
- Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.
- Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
- Advanced learning pathways, including accelerated or compacted content.
- Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
- Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
- Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
- 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.
Rylstone Public School recognises that every student is individual, and we provide flexible and diverse opportunities for students to explore and grow their strengths outside the classroom.
- Our school offers a range of whole-school programs that support student growth.
- Our school identifies and supports students with high potential through targeted enrichment, extension and extra-curricular opportunities such as debating, competitions, critical thinking workshops, and STEM and coding clubs.
- All our students, including high potential and gifted students, are encouraged to take on leadership roles through student representative council leadership, mentoring programs and peer coaching and Peer Support Programs
- Student talent is celebrated and extended through our annual whole school performance, visual arts showcases and creative writing groups.
- Our students can take part in sports training, coaching sessions, house competitions and differentiated Physical Education programs.
At Rylstone Public School we ensure students participate in a wide range of programs to extend and enrich our student potential
- We strive to know our students to ensure that the full range of their abilities and needs is recognised.
- We create inclusive environments to support all students by recognising, respecting and valuing diversity.
- At our school, high potential and gifted students from all backgrounds have access to quality learning opportunities that meet their needs and aspirations.
- We create a supportive and culturally safe learning environment. Our teachers use culturally responsive teaching methods, recognising that students’ cultural backgrounds influence their ways of knowing, thinking and communicating.
- We foster positive relationships with families and communities to support all students to reach their potential.
- Our targeted support helps students to build confidence and develop the skills they need to succeed.
- We provide adjustments to ensure high potential and gifted students with disability can participate in learning experiences on the same basis as students without disability.
- The Premier’s Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.
- 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.
The Rylstone Public School annual whole school performance provides valuable opportunities for our students to showcase their talents, creativity, and skills in a supportive and challenging environment. It enables students identified as high potential or gifted to demonstrate their strengths across intellectual, creative, social, and physical domains. This event fosters a culture of excellence and aspiration, encouraging all students to engage fully and stretch their capabilities.
By participating in the whole school performance, students develop confidence, resilience, and a sense of achievement as they work collaboratively and individually towards common goals. It also promotes inclusivity by recognising diverse forms of excellence and providing equitable opportunities for students from varied backgrounds to shine. Overall, the performance serves as a practical extension of the HPGE policy’s commitment to nurturing potential, inspiring personal growth, and supporting students in reaching their highest capabilities.
Rylstone Public School Participates in the Premier’s Debating Challenge which offers significant benefits for students identified with high potential and gifted education (HPGE) needs. This challenge provides an engaging and intellectually stimulating platform where students can develop and demonstrate advanced critical thinking, communication, and reasoning skills—key competencies for gifted learners.
Through debating, students enhance their ability to construct well-reasoned arguments, analyse complex issues, and articulate ideas effectively, which aligns closely with the HPGE policy’s focus on fostering intellectual and creative growth. The competitive and collaborative nature of the Challenge encourages students to refine their research skills, think strategically, and respond confidently under pressure, thereby promoting resilience and high achievement.
Additionally, participating in the Premier’s Debating Challenge cultivates social and emotional capabilities, including teamwork, empathy, and respectful discourse, supporting the holistic development emphasised in HPGE. Overall, this opportunity enriches the learning experiences of gifted and high potential students by providing a challenging, supportive environment where they can excel and further develop their talents.
Rylstone Public School hosts the annual Wollemi Public Speaking competition. Participation in the Wollemi Public Speaking competition offers numerous benefits for our students, particularly those identified with high potential and gifted education (HPGE) needs. This competition provides a valuable platform for students to develop and showcase their communication skills, critical thinking, and creativity—all essential attributes for gifted learners.
Through preparing and delivering speeches, students enhance their ability to organise ideas clearly, engage audiences effectively, and express themselves with confidence and clarity. These skills contribute not only to academic success but also to lifelong personal and professional development. The competition challenges students to think deeply about diverse topics, encouraging higher-order thinking and intellectual rigour in line with the NSW HPGE policy’s commitment to fostering intellectual growth.
Moreover, the Wollemi Public Speaking competition nurtures resilience and self-esteem, as students learn to manage performance anxiety and receive constructive feedback. It also encourages social interaction and the building of supportive peer networks, promoting collaborative learning and empathy. Overall, the competition supports our HPGE students by providing a stimulating and inclusive environment that celebrates excellence, encourages risk-taking, and empowers students to realise their full potential.
At Rylstone Public School, we provide a wide range of opportunities for students to participate in cross country and various sports activities, supporting their physical, social, and emotional development in line with the NSW High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) policy. These opportunities allow all students, including those identified as high potential and gifted, to engage in physical challenges that promote health, fitness, and personal excellence.
Participation in cross country and sports fosters important skills such as teamwork, resilience, goal-setting, and leadership, helping students to develop confidence and perseverance. These activities also provide a platform for students to explore and cultivate their physical talents, while promoting inclusivity and a sense of belonging within the school community.
By offering diverse sporting opportunities, we encourage students to strive for their personal best, celebrate effort and achievement, and experience the benefits of an active lifestyle. This holistic approach to student development aligns with the HPGE policy’s emphasis on nurturing potential across intellectual, creative, physical, and social-emotional domains, ensuring that all students have the chance to excel and grow in multiple areas. Rylstone Public School hosts the Zone Cross country which showcases
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
At Rylstone Public School, we offer a variety of programs in the classroom and across the school to help students build new skills, make friends and explore new interests.
Our programs may include:
- school sport, athletics and inter-school competitions
- creative and performing arts
- excursions and incursions
- public speaking and debating
- lunchtime and interest-based clubs
- student leadership opportunities.
Discover the opportunities our students have at our school.
Learning
Find out about our approach to learning and supporting students to progress. Current and dynamic classrooms where all students have immediate access to technology ensures all students learning needs are met.