High potential and gifted education (HPGE)
At Shoalhaven Heads Public School, we are committed to identifying and nurturing students with high potential and giftedness across four key domains. Our comprehensive identification processes and expert staff ensure that advanced learners are supported, challenged, and encouraged to reach their full potential.
We understand that these domains often overlap and interact, contributing to each student’s unique strengths and abilities:
- Creative Domain: Natural talents in imagination, innovation, and originality.
- Intellectual Domain: Abilities in reasoning, understanding, processing information, and applying knowledge across contexts.
- Physical Domain: Skills involving muscular movement, coordination, and motor control.
- Social-Emotional Domain: Strengths in self-management, empathy, and effective interpersonal relationships.
We recognise that potential exists along a continuum, with varying levels requiring tailored approaches and targeted support. Our school is dedicated to early identification and fostering of these strengths through engaging lessons and enriching activities designed to help advanced learners thrive academically, creatively, physically, and socially.
At Shoalhaven Heads Public School, every gifted learner is encouraged to grow, explore, and excel in their areas of strength.
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.
Some of our high potential and gifted education opportunities
Intellectual Domain;
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NSW Premier's Debating Challenge Debating develops essential skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, research, teamwork and active listening. Students represent their schools in state-wide competitions.
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Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition Years 3 to 6 This competition encourages primary school students to explore ideas of multiculturalism in Australia while they practise their public speaking skills and improve their confidence.
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NSW Premier's Spelling BeeThe Premier's Spelling Bee is an engaging way for NSW public primary school students to expand their vocabularies and improve their spelling. Designed for Stage 2 and 3, Stage 1 students are also welcome to participate.
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NSW Premier's Reading Challenge The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, read more, and read more widely. The program involves over 430,000 students and more than 2,600 government, non-government and home schools. The PRC booklists open doors to a rich collection of children’s literature representing a range of books, including fiction, non-fiction, picture books, poetry and drama, and a wide variety of Australian authors.
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NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge
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STEM challenges and Technology for Learning (T4L)kits. The stem.T4L Project is to empower schools to teach students the skills they need to solve the problems of tomorrow.
Writing Extension Groups - Led by Wollongong University Lecturer
Mathematics Extension Groups
Creative Domain;
Performances
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Whole school productions
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Southern Stars
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Ukulele Band
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Choir
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Dance groups
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Primary Aboriginal Dance Workshops Years 3 to 6 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
Students develop their cultural awareness and contemporary Aboriginal dance skills in a fun and engaging setting. During this one-day workshop, students work with industry professionals.
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Choir - Shoalhaven Music Festival
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Art of Place Program with IEEC - The Art of Place program for high potential and gifted students in the creative domain fosters originality, experimentation, and deep personal expression through immersive, nature-based artmaking.
Physical Domain;
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PSSA Carnivals - Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics
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PSSA Gala Days
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PSSA Knockout Teams
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PSSA Trials
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Community Sport
Social and Emotional Domain;
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Buddies Program
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Student Parliament and leadership
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Peer Support Program
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