High potential and gifted education

At Kangaroo Valley Public School, we are proud of the rich range of High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) opportunities we offer, especially for a small school. Our lunchtime clubs are always evolving to reflect our students’ diverse interests, from music and chess to sport and creative pursuits—there truly is something for everyone. We actively participate in many Arts Unit programs, with students enjoying experiences such as the Small Schools Creative Arts Camp, filmmaking workshops hosted right here at our school, and numerous local events where they can showcase their talents, including performances at the Folk Festival with singing and poetry recitals.

We are also proud of our ongoing involvement in Project Platypus, an immersive overnight camp in partnership with the Illawarra Environmental Education Centre and University of NSW scientist Gilad Bino. Joined by three other local schools, our students engage hands-on with environmental science, studying platypus and their ecosystem within the Kangaroo Valley area. This unique program fosters a deep understanding of sustainability and offers students valuable opportunities to work alongside real scientists, enriching their learning and inspiring a passion for environmental stewardship.

Please refer to our school newsletter for all the exciting High Potential and Gifted Education opportunities currently on offer.

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.

In our classroom

We are committed to recognising and nurturing high potential and gifted students, ensuring every student can thrive at our school.

Staff regularly use differentiated tasks within their programming and teaching that adjust pace, tasks and complexity.

Across our school

Every student is individual, so opportunities are flexible and diverse.

Students deepen strengths through debating, competitions, and STEM and coding pathways .
Talent is celebrated through whole school assemblies, drama, visual arts, performances at local events including singing and poetry.
Leadership grows through SRC, school leadership and wellbeing is made visible with merit, platypus and gold awards.
Our lunchtime clubs are always evolving to reflect our students’ diverse interests, from music and chess to sport and creative pursuits—there truly is something for everyone.

Across NSW

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

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..
Our STEM Enrichment Partnerships with industry and universities deepen our students’ intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA and CHSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
Inspired by Nature is a visual arts enrichment program in the creative domain for high potential and gifted public school students
Project Platypus, an immersive overnight camp in partnership with the Illawarra Environmental Education Centre and University of NSW scientist Gilad Bino