High potential and gifted education

Some students learn more quickly or with greater ease than others, and may excel in areas such as creativity, critical thinking, leadership, or sport.

At Lewisham, we recognise and actively nurture these strengths from an early stage. We support advanced learners through purposeful pedagogy (teaching and learning), tailored pathways and enriched programs designed to help them grow and thrive.

All staff are engaged in our Thinking Connections Initiatives, ensuring that every classroom fosters deep, challenging, critical and creative thinking. Our teachers participate in high-quality, high-impact professional learning, including Harvard University’s Visible Thinking and Thinking Dispositions, as well as UNSW’s GERRIC training. This ongoing learning strengthens our ability to deepen and enrich opportunities across all four domains of high potential, with a particular focus on the Intellectual domain.

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

At our school, we give students many ways to learn, create, lead and grow across all four domains of high potential.

Our students engage with HPGE education in the classroom, in our school, and across NSW.

In our classrooms (Pedagogy)

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 and creative thinking skills 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.
Supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment.
Strengths-based feedback and personalised goal setting.
Opportunities for leadership within the classroom.
Structured peer collaboration and reflection.
Safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.

Across our school (Pathways & Programs)

Thinking Connections Initiative - Critical and Creative thinking workshops inspired by Professional Learning through Harvard University (Visible Thinking and Thinking Dispositions).
Debating
STEM and coding groups
Academic competitions
School performances
Music ensembles
Visual arts and drama showcases
Maths Aspire groups
Writing Aspire groups
Sport squads
Performance-based movement groups
Peer mentoring e.g. buddy leadership team
Student leadership (SRC)
Wellbeing programs
Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.

Across NSW (Pathways & Programs)

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.
Involvement in the Game Changer Challenge empowers our students to solve future-focused problems using design thinking.
The Schools Spectacular is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across NSW public schools.
Participation in (state) drama ensembles promotes character exploration, storytelling and expressive freedom for our Stage 3 high potential and gifted drama students.
Participation in music ensembles hones our students’ musical skills, discipline and ensemble awareness.
The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and professional learning.
The Representative School Sport Pathway and Gala day events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
Participation in state-wide dance ensembles develops our high potential and gifted Stage 3 dance students’ technical skills, performance presence and physical expressiveness.
Our mentoring programs connect our students with trusted adults including school alumni to build confidence, motivation, and interpersonal skills.

[Your school's state-wide level HPGE offerings - refer to HPGE toolkit]