High potential and gifted education

At Cardiff Public School, high potential and gifted education (HPGE) is an integral part of our everyday learning experiences. Many of our students demonstrate outstanding abilities, and we are committed to nurturing these strengths and transforming them into meaningful achievements.

Our teachers carefully identify each student’s learning needs within the classroom and employ evidence-based teaching strategies to extend and challenge their skills. We offer a range of learning pathways, including enrichment programs, extension activities, and acceleration when appropriate. Students are identified by staff—with valuable input from families encouraged—as having high potential or giftedness across cognitive, creative, physical, or social-emotional domains. This information is shared across the school community to ensure tailored support for every learner.

We foster supportive and inclusive classroom environments that build a strong sense of belonging, inspire creativity, encourage risk-taking, and promote collaboration. Gifted students, especially those with cognitive strengths, receive targeted teaching designed to match their individual challenges. They engage in open-ended tasks and enrichment opportunities to deepen their learning.

Our approach includes flexible grouping, leadership opportunities, and strength-based feedback with clear goals and self-reflection, all aimed at empowering students.

Our HPGE practices align with the NSW Department of Education’s policy, which emphasises supporting giftedness across four key domains:

• Creative Domain: Encouraging students to develop new ideas and express themselves through creative thinking, problem-solving, and artistic expression.
• Intellectual (Cognitive) Domain: Providing challenging learning experiences that promote advanced thinking, inquiry, and intellectual growth.
• Physical Domain: Supporting physical development and wellbeing through activities that enhance coordination, health, and physical skills.
• Social-Emotional Domain: Fostering emotional resilience, self-awareness, and positive social interactions to support the wellbeing of gifted learners.

At Cardiff Public School, we are dedicated to supporting the whole child by recognising and nurturing each student’s unique potential across these domains, ensuring every learner is empowered to thrive.

At Cardiff Public School, we provide a broad range of opportunities to support and enrich our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students within the school community. Our programs are thoughtfully designed to nurture talents across multiple domains, offering pathways for students to excel and engage beyond the classroom environment.

Students can participate in a variety of extracurricular activities such as languages, creative arts, choir, dance groups, guitar, gardening, podcasting, and coding. These opportunities enable students to develop diverse skills, express their creativity, and collaborate with their peers in supportive and engaging settings.

For students interested in sports, we provide school teams and representative sporting pathways that foster physical development, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Leadership is encouraged through participation in the Student Representative Council and other school leadership roles.

Communication and critical thinking skills are enhanced through our Public Speaking programs.

Students have many opportunities to take part in academic competitions designed to challenge and extend their intellectual potential beyond our school. These programs help connect Cardiff Public School’s HPGE students with peers across New South Wales and provide pathways for broader enrichment and recognition in the wider community.

At Cardiff Public School, we are committed to offering a rich and diverse HPGE experience that empowers gifted learners to flourish across all areas of their development, both within our school community and beyond.