High potential and gifted education

Our approach is focused on providing an appropriately challenging and nurturing learning environment that encourages high potential students to reach their academic and personal potential. Aligned with the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy and the Great Lakes College Forster Campus High Potential & Gifted Education Program, we aim to stimulate intellectual growth, creativity, and critical thinking through a range of differentiated and enriched educational experiences.

• Enrichment and extension opportunities are provided within the classroom along with additional school-based extension activities for students identified as high potential, depending on their individual needs and available resources.
• Teachers deliver differentiated classroom instruction tailored to students of all abilities, including our high potential students.
• Across all Key Learning Areas, learning programs are differentiated to meet diverse student needs, ensuring all learners are appropriately supported and challenged.
• Teachers receive ongoing professional development in curriculum differentiation and High Potential & Gifted Education to enhance their capability to design and implement effective programs.

We support the development of High Potential and Gifted (HP&G) students across the four key domains: intellectual, social-emotional, physical, and creative. This comprehensive approach ensures that students have diverse pathways to explore and develop their talents, fostering growth beyond the classroom and encouraging well-rounded excellence.

Intellectual Domain

• • Year 10 Entrepreneurial project
  • HPGE Enrichment Days at Great Lakes College Senior Campus
  • AI and Robotics challenge
  • Engagement in the Science and Engineering Challenge, which promotes teamwork and problem-solving through hands-on STEM activities.
  • Participation in the Higher Achieving Student Activity Day (HASAD), fostering interdisciplinary learning and enrichment for HP&G students and feeder primary schools.
  • Opportunities to develop critical thinking and communication skills through debating and public speaking competitions
  • Premiers Reading/Writing Challenge
  • University of Newcastle visits
  • Industry guest speakers

• Social-Emotional Domain

  • School Representative Council (SRC)
  • Aboriginal Representative Council (ARC)
  • Peer Leadership Program
  • Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP)
  • Luminosity Youth Summit

• Physical Domain

  • Students from all year groups can participate in competitive sports at zone, regional and state levels.
  • Opportunities to represent the school in diverse sports such as swimming, surfing, cross country, athletics, netball, rugby league, soccer, and touch football, promoting physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
  • Battle of the Colleges – an interschool sporting competition between West Wallsend, Dubbo South Campus and Peel Technology High School. Year 8 and Year 9 teams compete across numerous disciplines. Opportunities for Year 10 students to be leaders and officials.
  • Marine Studies field excursion to Lady Elliot Island.
  • Lunch time competitions organised and run by students with staff.

• Creative Domain

  • School band
  • Eisteddfod competitions around music, dance and drama
  • School Spectacular
  • High Achieving Students Activity Day (HASAD)
  • School musicals
  • Exhibitions such as Shine On
  • Participation in the Lakeside Festival Art Exhibition
  • Cultural excursions to Sydney galleries and museums

Statewide:

Our students can participate in a range of statewide activities, including:

• Knockout sporting competitions progressing through zone, regional, and state carnivals across various sports.
• School Spectacular, showcasing performing arts talents at a major state event.
• Debating and public speaking competitions at local, regional, and state levels.
• Science and Engineering Challenge, offering hands-on STEM activities with schools across NSW.
• Eisteddfod competitions in music, dance, and drama, connecting students with the state arts scene