High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

At Arcadia Vale Public School, we believe every learner deserves the opportunity to shine. Our approach to High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) is grounded in a deep commitment to equity, excellence and High Expectations Relationships. Ensuring that all students are known, valued and appropriately challenged.

We embed evidence-informed, highly differentiated and explicitly taught learning experiences into everyday classroom practice. Teaching teams use diagnostic and formative assessment to tailor learning pathways that build on each student’s strengths and aspirations, creating unmatched opportunities for growth.

Key Strategies That Support HPGE in Our Classrooms

• Explicit and Differentiated Teaching
  All students access high-quality instruction grounded in our signature Explicit Teaching model, with adjustments made to extend high potential learners. Instructional clarity, cognitive load awareness and scaffolded tasks that support both mastery and acceleration.
• Targeted Extension and Challenge
  We design tasks that extend thinking across the cognitive, creative, social-emotional and physical domains, with challenge embedded through open-ended questions, enrichment projects, student-led inquiry and leadership roles. These are supported by our HPGE identification matrix and dynamic student profiles.
• Student Voice and Aspirational Goal Setting
  Students co-design personal learning goals and engage in reflection and self-assessment. Our classrooms foster agency, encouraging learners to articulate their thinking, pursue passions and contribute meaningfully to school life. Including through our Ambassadors Program, interest-based clubs and leadership initiatives.
• Instructional Leadership and Professional Learning
  Staff engage in High Impact Professional Learning aligned with the HPGE Policy and AITSL Standards, building capability in differentiation, talent development and assessment for learning. Co-teaching, learning walks and feedback cycles ensure consistent, responsive practice.
• Unmatched Opportunities for Engagement
  AVPS students access an exceptional range of enrichment opportunities, from We Speak Together: Tiddalik’s Voice to public speaking, debating, sport, the arts and STEM. Our programs connect students with real-world audiences, peers and community, nurturing both excellence and belonging.

Across our school

At Arcadia Vale Public School, High Potential and Gifted Education sits at the heart of who we are. We celebrate and nurture the unique talents of every learner by offering flexible, diverse and enriching opportunities across academic, creative, social and physical domains. Our students thrive in an environment where strengths are recognised, challenged and extended every day.

Here are just some of the exceptional opportunities AVPS students can engage in:

Signature Clubs and Interest-Based Enrichment

• Girls Empowered
• Frog Pond Club
• Highly Esteemed Garden Club – including veggie gardens, orchards and hydroponics
• Book Club
• Rubik’s Cube Club
• Ukulele Club
• Audio & Visual Technologies Club
  In this club, student podcasters have interviewed notable Australians, including Troy Cassar‑Daley — acclaimed Australian country music storyteller and multi‑award winner , Emma Dundas — rising Newcastle Jets A‑League Women’s football star  , and Nathan Towney — respected Indigenous educational leader and university executive  .

HPGE and Performance Pathways

• Choir and Selected Singers Group
• Debating and Public Speaking Teams
• Newcastle Permanent Mathematics Competition
• Premier’s Spelling Bee

Creative Expression and Media

• DSLR Photography – students have produced award‑winning photographs
• Videography Projects – student‑led films and digital media featured by NBN News
• Podcast Production – engaging conversations and interviews with local and national figures

Unmissable Events and School Experiences

• Our now‑famous, always‑sold‑out School Musical
• Curriculum‑aligned excursions & incursions
• Leadership forums, clubs and showcase events

AVPS truly has it all and more, from vibrant clubs and elite competitions to real‑world media production and leadership pathways. We don’t just offer opportunities; we create platforms where students can shine, lead and contribute with confidence.

Across NSW

At Arcadia Vale Public School, we believe exceptional talent deserves exceptional platforms. Our students regularly take part in statewide competitions, programs, and performances, giving them the opportunity to shine, collaborate and stretch their capabilities beyond the classroom.

Whether it’s in sport, the arts, STEM or leadership, we make it our mission to ensure students experience the pride and challenge of representing their school and their passions on a broader stage.

Here are just some of the ways we support and celebrate talent across New South Wales:

• NSW PSSA Sports Pathways – including athletics, cross country, and inclusive sports
• Lake West Sports League – co-founded by AVPS to promote high-quality local competition
• State Representation in Boccia – proudly competing in inclusive sport at the state level
• Star Struck – our students feature in this spectacular celebration of public school creativity
• Battle of the Brains – developing teamwork, strategy and quick thinking
• The Dobell Drawing Prize and Arts Festival – showcasing excellence in visual arts

At AVPS, if there’s a platform for potential, you’ll find our students on it. Through these experiences, we ensure every child has the opportunity to lead, perform, compete and belong, with high expectations, strong support and a deep belief in their capacity to succeed.