High potential and gifted education
At Copacabana Public School, we take pride in aligning our approach with the NSW Department of Education’s High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) policy, which acknowledges the varied strengths and needs of gifted and high potential students. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment that challenges and extends every learner, ensuring they remain engaged, motivated, and able to achieve their fullest potential. Our programs are thoughtfully designed to identify and nurture giftedness in multiple areas, reflecting the Department’s focus on addressing the whole child. By adopting a broad perspective on giftedness, we strive to promote excellence not only in academics but also in creativity, physical development, and social skills, equipping students for lifelong success and wellbeing.
Our approach focuses on four key domains:
- Creative Domain: We provide opportunities for students to develop innovative thinking and artistic expression, encouraging originality and problem-solving through diverse creative activities.
- Intellectual Domain: We challenge students with enriched learning experiences that promote higher-order thinking, deep inquiry, and advanced knowledge across the curriculum.
- Physical Domain: Recognising the importance of physical development, we support students in enhancing their coordination, health, and physical skills through targeted activities and sports.
- Social-Emotional Domain: We prioritise the emotional wellbeing and social development of gifted students, fostering resilience, self-awareness, and positive relationships to help them thrive within our school community.
At Copacabana Public School, we are committed to applying the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy through a comprehensive, student-focused approach that supports the development of every learner’s potential across all four domains.
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.
- Advanced learning pathways, including accelerated or compacted content.
- Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
- Opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth.
- Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
- Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
- Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE.
- Targeted learning goals for coordination, agility, and control.
- 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
- STEM
- Academic competitions
- Critical thinking workshops
- School musicals
- Visual arts and drama showcases
- Creative writing groups
- Sport squads
- House competitions
- Peer mentoring
- Student leadership (SRC)
- Wellbeing programs
- Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
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The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
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The Premier’s Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.
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Our STEM Enrichment Partnerships with industry and universities deepen our students’ intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
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The Schools Spectacular is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across NSW public schools.
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The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and professional learning.
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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.
Public Speaking
Public speaking is an important part of many NSW school programs. Our students are encouraged to develop confidence, clear communication, and strong presentation skills. Schools often take part in public speaking competitions, such as school-based events, regional contests, or statewide programs. These events give our students the chance to prepare speeches, speak in front of an audience, and learn how to express their ideas effectively.
Sporting opportunities
We offer a range of team sports that allow our students to compete against other schools. Students can join teams based on their interests and skill levels.
Competing against other schools gives students the chance to improve their skills, work as a team, and represent their school with pride. These games or carnivals are usually held throughout the year and provide a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
Chess Team
Our school offers a chess team for students who enjoy strategy, problem-solving, and friendly competition. Joining the chess team allows students to learn new tactics, practise their skills, and challenge themselves in a supportive environment.
Our students take part in tournaments against other schools. These events help to build concentration, patience, and strategic thinking. We encourage our students to try their best, show good sportsmanship and enjoy the challenge of the game.
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