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 Cardiff High School for your high potential or gifted child?

At Cardiff High School, the principles of High Potential and Gifted Education are embedded across a range of programs to develop the physical, creative, social-emotional and intellectual talents of our diverse student body, as well as in the classroom practice of our experienced staff. Our extensive and expanding Enrichment Programs cater for students at a range of stages of their learning.

Year 7 Enrichment – Showcase your Sparkle
A mandatory component of our HPGE Program for students of our 7L class, Showcase Your Sparkle is a student-centred passion project based on a topic of the students’ own choosing. Students engage in a year-long focus on their passion, supported by a teacher mentor, the Head Teacher Quality Teaching and instructional lessons, to present their findings at our annual Enrichment Showcase in Term 4.
Year 8 Enrichment – Find Your Voice
An opt-in program for self-identified and teacher-nominated high achieving students. Find Your Voice is a project-based learning program with a focus on social issues and justice. Students select from a range of topics, engaging in effective research practices, investigative learning exercises and critical and creative thinking routines to present their findings in Term 4.
Year 11 and 12 – Academic Program
Selection for the Academic Program is based on high potential across a range of areas within the school community and via nomination endorsed by Executive staff. The Academic Program aims to support students in the development of their academic skills in senior school. Students are given access to bespoke tutorials that assist their study habits, classroom drills, stress management and wellbeing.
Whole School Opportunities
Download our HPGE Flyer (PDF 710KB)
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Year 7 Enrichment – Showcase your Sparkle
Year 8 Enrichment – Find Your Voice
Year 7 Enrichment – Showcase your Sparkle
Year 8 Enrichment – Find Your Voice

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
  • Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking​.
  • Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning​.
  • Advanced learning pathways, including accelerated or compacted content​.
  • Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
  • Opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth​.
  • Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking​ including cross-curricular projects.
  • Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation​.
  • Opportunities to take on lead roles in physical demonstrations or team strategy​.
  • Supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment.
  • Strengths-based feedback and goal setting.​
  • Opportunities for leadership within the classroom​.
  • Structured peer collaboration and reflection.​
  • Safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance​.
Across our school
  • Debating
  • STEM
  • Academic competitions
  • Critical thinking workshops
  • Music Art Dance and Drama Night
  • Visual arts and drama showcases
  • Creative writing groups
  • Peer mentoring
  • Student leadership (SRC)
  • Wellbeing programs
  • Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
Across NSW
  • The Premier’s Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.
  • Our STEM Enrichment Partnerships with industry and universities deepen our students’ intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
  • Involvement in the Game Changer Challenge empowers our students to solve future-focused problems using design thinking.
  • The Representative School Sport Pathway and CHSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.

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

Discover the opportunities our students have at our school.

Learning

Find out about our approach to learning and supporting students to progress