High potential and gifted education (HPGE)

At Spring Hill Public School, our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) program is designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. Through a variety of approaches, students work to explore topics that genuinely interest them, allowing for deeper engagement and authentic learning experiences.

For our HPGE Project Group lessons, each term, students identify their personal areas of interest and set an HPGE goal that challenges and extends their abilities. By fostering student voice and choice, our program encourages independence, collaboration, and critical thinking—helping every learner reach their full potential.

Why choose us for your high potential or gifted child?

Students and staff sitting around a desk colouring and gluing.

Recognising potential and developing talent

Our teachers find potential and nurture our students to be the best they can be.

Children sitting on the floor in the classroom whilst a teacher sits at the front of the room on a chair talking to them. There is a smart board next to the teacher.

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.

4 students sitting around a table in the library doing bookwork. One student is looking at the camera smiling and the others are working. There are bookshelves in the background full of books.

Rich opportunities and activities

Students can take part in opportunities to develop their talent in the arts, sport, leadership and more.

Three students sitting on a carpeted floor with computers and robotics SPIKE kits. They are all looking at the camera smiling and their is a computer cabinet in the background.

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:

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

At Spring Hill Public School, high potential and gifted education (HPGE) is integrated into our daily learning experiences. Many of our students demonstrate exceptional talents, and we are committed to supporting and developing these strengths into meaningful achievements.

  • Our teachers identify each student’s learning needs within the classroom and apply evidence-based teaching strategies to extend and challenge their abilities. We provide a variety of learning pathways, including enrichment programs, extension tasks, and acceleration when suitable. Students are identified by teachers (with family insights welcome and encouraged) as having high potential or giftedness across the cognitive, creative, physical, or social-emotional domains. This information is shared throughout the school to ensure effective support for every learner.
  • We create nurturing classroom environments that foster a sense of belonging, encourage creativity, risk-taking, and collaboration. Gifted students, particularly in the cognitive domain, receive targeted instruction to meet their individual level of challenge. They engage in open-ended activities and enrichment opportunities.
  • Flexible groupings, leadership opportunities, and feedback centred on strengths with clear goals and self-assessment are key features of our approach.
Across our school

Our staff regularly engage in professional development to ensure the most current research-based practices are being used.

Students are able to engage in opportunities including:

  • STEM and coding programs and clubs
  • Academic competitions including Newcastle Maths and ICAS Assessments.
  • HPGE Project Program - where each term, students identify a new interest/goal, and work on a project allowing them to extend their abilities and reach their full potential in all areas of learning.
  • Visual arts and drama showcases
  • Sports programs including Learn to Swim and coaching in athletics and running
  • Student leadership (SRC)
  • Wellbeing programs
  • Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
Across NSW

Our students participate in a variety of state-wide programs, both individually and as a team, to extend and enrich their potential. These activities are as follows:

  • The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC), Small School Knockout Competitions and Interschool sporting competitions.
  • The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA events which enable our students to complete in sport at regional and state level.
  • Creative Arts Programs such as ACF Wild at Art, Nagoya Sister City Art Exchange, Operation Art, Netwaste Waste to Art competitions and Orange Show Society School Display.
  • Public Speaking Competitions
  • Local Eisteddfods and Small School Spectacular performances in dance, verse speaking and drama.
  • Cultural immersion programs including the Art's Unit HOME Program which connects professional Aboriginal artists, students and teachers with local Aboriginal community, regional galleries and the Art Gallery of NSW
Four students and Mrs Mac in a photo. They are all smiling at the camera and all have medals around their necks. One student is holding a large trophy and they are standing in front of a banner that states
NSWPSSA Sport
Three students in the swimming pool. One has a blue kickboard and they all have their goggles on and smiling for the camera.
Learn to Swim Program
Two students both smiling for the camera holding two certificates each.
Academic competitions
Three students and a parent volunteer standing around a 3D printer smiling at the camera. They are in a classroom at the school.
STEM clubs
A group of students standing around a bear chair they built as part of NetWaste Art Project. The chair is a full size chair and is made of all beige coloured plush teddy bears. The chair and children are in the Orange Library at the finals ceremony.
NetWaste Waste to Art - Visual Arts
Three children painting a cardboard shield in brown and black paint. They have blended the colours to gradually change on the shield.
HOME Arts Program
The school soccer team positioned in two rows. The back row is standing and the front row is on their knees. There is a ball in the air above them and their coach and Miss Em are in the photo too. They are outside at a sporting oval and it is a sunny day with trees in the background.
Knockout Sporting Competitions
The children are sitting on the floor and Sandon Gibbs-O'Neill, a local Indigenous Artist is holding a piece of his artwork showing the children. He has a whiteboard behind him showing the different symbol meanings portrayed in the artwork.
Cultural Immersion Day Excursion
A photo of the Orange Show Society School Display that Spring Hill submitted in 2025. It is a board of a collage of students artworks. There is a large camera up the top of the board and two large Emu's that the children built on either side of the display.
Orange Show Display - Visual Arts

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.

Contact us

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Student opportunities and activities

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Learning

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