High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

At Kiama 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

Across our school

Our 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.

• Year 5 Community of Schools HPAG class (1 day per week)

• Year 6 Kiama High School HPAG class (1 day per week)

• Debating team

• Public Speaking competition

• Chess club

• Wakakiri Story-Dance Festival

• HPAG Science Enrichment Program (Illawarra Environmental Education Centre)

• School choir

• Southern Illawarra Music Festival

• Community of Schools visual arts and drama showcases

• Operation Art Exhibition

• Sports Leadership team

• Drama club

• First Nations Dance workshops

• Community of Schools First Nations Immersion Day

• Southern Stars - The Arena Spectacular (individual performances)

• PSSA Gala days and representative sport

• House competitions

• Peer tutoring

• Student leadership (SRC)

• Year 6 Student school leadership team

• Leadership development programs (GRIP)

• UOW Leadership workshops

• Wellbeing programs

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.

• The Premier's Reading Challenge inspires high potential students to deepen their passion for reading, enhance advanced literacy skills, and expand their critical thinking through exploring diverse and challenging texts.

• 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.

• Participation in the Southern Illawarra Music Festival hones our students’ musical skills, discipline and ensemble awareness.

• Participation in state-wide Wakakiri Story-Dance Festival develops our high potential and gifted students’ technical skills, performance presence and physical expressiveness.

• Participation in the state wide WriteOn competition. Students in Years 1 to 6 are provided with an exciting opportunity for schools, teachers and students to focus on writing. Through the competition, students develop skills in writing to express their ideas and may become published authors.