High potential and gifted education

At Alfords Point Public School classroom practices support and extend high potential and gifted students. Our classrooms are dynamic learning environments where curiosity, challenge and creativity thrive. Students engage in rich, differentiated learning experiences designed to extend their thinking, deepen understanding and inspire a love of learning.

Teachers use formative assessment to regularly check student progress, monitor student growth and adjust lessons and learning experiences to meet individual needs. This helps students stay challenged and supported at their own pace.

Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving with modelling strategies and asking thoughtful questions guides student learning and ensures that each child is known. Learning activities encourage students to analyse, connect ideas, evaluate information, and tackle complex tasks with confidence. Open-ended tasks, inquiry units, and project-based learning provide opportunities for creativity, exploration, and applying skills in real-world contexts. These approaches develop students’ independence, motivation, higher-order thinking skills and provide opportunities to explore their interests.

Our teachers and classrooms are guided by evidence-informed teaching practices and use methods proven by research to enhance student outcomes. Together, these approaches create a positive and supportive learning environment that motivates students, helps them understand their progress, and promotes meaningful growth. Targeted learning goals are personalised to meet each student’s specific needs, ensuring more effective learning. Teachers work with students to create clear, achievable learning targets that guide their efforts. Strengths-based feedback focuses on what students are doing well whilst offering guidance for improvement, helping build their confidence.

Classrooms provide valuable opportunities for students to develop leadership skills by assigning them roles that foster responsibility, collaboration, and initiative. Students might take charge of group projects, guiding their peers to work together efficiently and complete tasks, which helps build teamwork and communication skills. They can also support and mentor classmates who need assistance, developing empathy and strong interpersonal abilities. In addition, involving students in classroom decision-making—such as setting rules or planning activities—gives them experience in making choices and understanding the effects of those decisions. Through these experiences, students enhance important skills like organisation, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. Altogether, these leadership opportunities prepare students to become confident, responsible, and effective leaders both in school and in their future lives.

Across all learning experiences, we foster a supportive, inclusive environment where students feel empowered to take risks, explore new ideas and strive for their personal best.

Alfords Point Public School offers a wide range of enrichment opportunities that allow students to explore, extend and develop their talents beyond the classroom. These programs are designed to cater to different areas of talent, interest and growth, ensuring students are supported across the HPGE domains.

A variety of enrichment programs are offered throughout the year, including Public Speaking, Debating, Chess Club, STEM, coding, Kindergarten Japanese program, writing enrichment, Garden Club, Stage 3 mathematics, coding, School Musical, The Music Bus, CREATE South and a range of sporting competitions.

Meaningful leadership and wellbeing initiatives including but not limited to student leadership, sport leaders, SRC, peer mentoring and buddies are offered as well as whole-school wellbeing programs that further support students’ social and emotional development.

All students are encouraged to participate in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives. The specialised HPGE groups support high potential students by focusing on four areas: intellectual skills (advanced thinking and problem-solving), creativity (expressing ideas through art, music, writing), social-emotional growth (understanding feelings, teamwork), and physical skills (sports and movement). These groups offer tailored activities that challenge students, nurture their curiosity, and help them develop strengths. Students are encouraged to explore their interests and passions, preparing them for success in school and beyond.

At Alfords Point Public School, we are committed to providing a rich and varied HPGE experience that empowers gifted and high potential learners to thrive across all areas of their development, both within our school community and beyond.

Across NSW

Alfords Point Public School students proudly represent and participate in a range of state and regional programs that extend their talents and celebrate excellence. These opportunities allow students to showcase their abilities, collaborate with peers from across the state and develop advanced skills in diverse domains.

The Sutherland Shire Music Festival is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students across the Sutherland Shire. By performing as part of this festival, students develop musicality, teamwork and performance confidence.

The Premier's Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity while offering leadership pathways and professional learning for staff and students. Through the Representative School Sport Pathway, including PSSA events, students can trial and compete at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.

Participation in the Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our student’s vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings whilst the Premier’s Debating Challenge and Metropolitan South West Public Speaking Competition help our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking as well as encourage students to apply their skills in real-world, competitive settings.

Alfords Point Public School ensures our high potential and gifted learners are supported, extended and inspired on a broader stage through these NSW-wide initiatives.