High potential and gifted education

Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may shine in creativity, thinking, leadership or sport.

At our school, we recognise and nurture these strengths early. We support advanced learners with great lessons and activities to help them grow and thrive.

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.

In our classroom

Our teachers identify students’ strengths and learning needs, using evidence-informed practices to provide challenge, enrichment and extension opportunities within everyday learning. We do this through:

· Differentiated learning tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.

· Use of formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.

· Advanced learning pathways, including acceleration and content compacting, for identified students.

· Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

· Learning activities that offer choice, authenticity and foster critical and creative thinking, including cross-curricular projects.

· Flexible grouping for collaborative idea sharing and investigation.

· Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE.

· Supportive learning environments that promote expectations, risk-taking, a growth mindset and reflection.

· Strengths-based feedback and goal setting

· Leadership opportunities.

Across our school

We recognise that every student is individual and offer a wide range of programs that extend learning beyond the classroom. Students have opportunities to participate in:

· Debating

· Academic competitions

· Creative writing workshops

· School and CCGPS choirs

· Sporting programs, training squads and house competitions

· Aerobics

· Student leadership

· Wellbeing programs

· Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.

· Creative arts programs including dance, drama and visual arts

· School public speaking events

· Moani AET leadership initiatives

· Project Humble

Across NSW

Our students proudly represent Cessnock West Public School and the Hunter region through participation in local, regional and state initiatives, including:

· The Premier’s Spelling Bee

· The Premier’s Debating Challenge

· Starstruck

· CREATE arts program

· The Premier’s Sporting Challenge

· The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA events