High potential and gifted education

At our school, the development of every learner’s potential is paramount. We recognise that many students possess high potential, which we actively nurture to grow into significant strengths.

Our highly qualified teachers identify and support students’ abilities, encouraging them to excel across four key domains: creative, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional. We challenge students to think critically, create innovatively, lead confidently, and grow personally.

Embracing diversity and inclusion, our school fosters a culture of high expectations, equity and excellence, ensuring all students—regardless of background—have access to opportunities that transform potential into talent.

An enviable range of programs and supports are provided school-wide and department-wide to engage and challenge all learners, with a strong emphasis on talent development for high potential and gifted students, delivered both in-class and through specialised programs.

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

Canterbury has an impressive array of extracurricular clubs and programs to suit all ages and interests. There is something for everyone because we want every child to be engaged and connected, find like-minded friends, explore their interests and hone their talents.

We provide authentic opportunities for students to perform, compete and contribute. For example, the student newspaper is published and issued to every family, the garden club grows and sells produce, and sports teams compete with other schools. Leadership teams improve the school and community through student-led initiatives, and the choir, strings and band ensembles perform at the Opera House and large festivals.

Opening doors to wider experiences

Our students can participate in a wide range of state-wide opportunities that aim to extend and enrich their 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.

In our classroom

Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.
Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
Explicit teaching of reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
Opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth.
Supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment.
Strengths-based feedback and personalised 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

Actor's Studio
Auslan Choir
Bands (Training, Concert and Combined Schools)
Chess
Coding and STEM
Choir
Dance
Drama
Dungeons and Dragons
Enrichment Programs (links with Canterbury Girls and Canterbury Boys High Schools)
French
Green Thumbs
Interschool Sports
Japanese
Knitting
Library Monitors
Mongolian
Polymer Clay
Public Speaking
Strings Ensembles
Student Leadership
Student Newspaper
Student Representative Council
Visual Art
Yoga

Across NSW

The Premier’s Spelling Bee promotes our students’ vocabulary development and attention to detail in competitive settings.
Participation in drama ensembles promotes character exploration, storytelling and expressive freedom for drama students.
Participation in music ensembles including the NSW Festival of Choral Music and the NSW Festival of Instrumental Music hones our students’ musical skills, discipline and ensemble awareness.
The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and professional learning.
PSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
Participation in state-wide dance ensembles develops our high potential and gifted students’ technical skills, performance presence and physical expressiveness.