High potential and gifted education
At Maclean Public School, we recognise that some students learn faster and more easily than others. Our practices align with the NSW Department of Education’s High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) policy, which highlights the importance of supporting giftedness across four essential domains:
- Creative Domain: Supporting students to develop original ideas and express themselves through creative thinking, problem-solving, and artistic pursuits.
- Intellectual (Cognitive) Domain: Offering challenging learning experiences that nurture advanced thinking, deep inquiry, and intellectual development.
- Physical Domain: Encouraging physical growth and wellbeing through activities that improve coordination, health, and physical skills.
- Social-Emotional Domain: Promoting emotional resilience, self-awareness, and positive social interactions to support the wellbeing of gifted learners.
Our dedicated teachers and leaders engage in ongoing, evidence-informed HPGE professional learning to recognise and nurture the strengths of our advanced learners. Through differentiated and enriching lessons, targeted extension activities, and inclusive opportunities, we empower high potential students to grow in confidence, extend their abilities, and thrive both in and beyond the classroom.
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.
At Maclean Public School, HPGE is embedded in our everyday practice. We challenge our students to think critically, create with purpose, lead with confidence, and grow as lifelong learners.
- Teachers identify students' learning needs in the classroom and use evidence-informed teaching practices to challenge and extend students. We provide learning pathways, including enrichment and extension programs and acceleration.
- Staff regularly use differentiated tasks within their programming and teaching that adjust pace, tasks and complexity.
- Flexible groupings for collaborative ideation and presentation, targeted learning goals, and strengths-based feedback is used to cater to individual learning profiles.
- Our supportive classroom environments promote a sense of belonging and encourage risk-taking, creativity and collaboration.
- We provide tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking.
- Our teachers engage in professional learning to support the diverse needs of all students, including our high potential and gifted learners.
We offer a wide range of enrichment programs designed to inspire students to pursue their passions and potential. These opportunities support personal growth, creativity, teamwork, and leadership across a variety of areas.
Some of the programs students can get involved in include:
- Public Speaking
- STEM programs and projects
- Band and choirs
- School sports teams and carnivals
- House competitions and team events
- Dance groups
- Student leadership opportunities (SRC)
- Peer mentoring and buddy programs
- Wellbeing and personal development programs
- Chess Club
- Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) Inter-school sports
- Excursions and Incursions
- Digeridoo group
- Maths group
- Writing groups
- Newcastle Permanent Mathematics Competition
- Annual writing competitions
- Art club
- Compass Music Festival
Our students participate in a wide range of statewide programs to extend and enrich student potential.
Students participate in opportunities such as:
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Premier’s Reading Challenge
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Premier’s Spelling Bee
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Premier’s Sporting Challenge
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Premier’s Debating Challenge
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Department of Education’s Festival of Instrumental Music
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Department of Education’s Festival of Choral Music
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Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA
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Pulse Music Festival
Stories from The Clarence Valley: The Long Way Home Writing Competition
At our school, writing is more than just a skill: our school upholds a legacy of outstanding writing.
We offer numerous opportunities for students to develop and showcase their skills through competitions both within classrooms and across the wider school community.
These competitions challenge participants to craft and deliver persuasive and inspiring speeches, showcasing their creativity and intellect.
This year, Grace Littlechild and Gracie King were chosen to have their individual stories selected for publication and attended the official book launch, proudly representing our school!
PSSA Sporting
Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) sports offer our students a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship while proudly representing their school, zone, region or state.
Festival of Choral and Instrumental Music
At Maclean Public School, we pride ourselves in providing opportunities for talent development to optimise the growth and achievement of our students,
Our school's recorder and choir group is a regular participant in the annual Festival of Music, organised by The Arts Unit at the Department of Education.
Our students have the opportunity to play and sing high quality repertoire as a massed group and perform alongside state level ensembles at the Sydney Opera House.
This magnificent opportunity allows our students to develop their musical skills, build confidence, and experience the joy of performing on one of the world's most prestigious stages.
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