High potential and gifted education

At Denison College, Kelso High Campus we are committed to recognising and developing the talents of all students. Through the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy, we support students who show high potential or giftedness across intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains.

Our teachers use a range of evidence-based strategies to identify students’ strengths and provide differentiated learning experiences that extend, challenge and engage. We aim to ensure that every student has access to appropriate opportunities that match their learning needs and encourage excellence.

Students may take part in enrichment and extension programs that promote critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. Learning tasks are designed to build independence, curiosity and perseverance, while also supporting wellbeing and a love of learning. We work in partnership with families to nurture students’ abilities and help them achieve their full potential. Through these approaches, we strive to ensure every student is known, valued and cared for, and that high potential and gifted learners thrive in an inclusive and supportive school environment.

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What is high potential and gifted Education?

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iXtend - High Potential and Gifted Education Class

At Denison College, we are committed to meeting the diverse needs of all students through specialised and inclusive learning opportunities. The iXtend Program, offered at our Bathurst and Kelso campuses, is a Year 7 initiative designed to enrich and extend the learning of gifted and high-potential students. It caters to those who demonstrate exceptional intellectual and creative abilities, as well as the motivation and capacity to engage in high-level individual and group projects. iXtend provides a rigorous, stimulating environment where evidence-based teaching is tailored to unique learning needs in core subjects such as Mathematics, Science, PDHPE, History, and Geography, allowing for optimal engagement within a supportive and challenging dynamic.

In addition to core subjects, students participate in smaller, focused classes for practical subjects including Creative Arts and TAS, ensuring broad exposure and collaborative learning across disciplines. The program fosters intellectual growth, critical thinking, creativity, and resilience through project-based learning, specialist workshops, academic competitions, and university partnerships. These opportunities extend learning and encourage students to develop skills beyond the classroom.

Selection for the iXtend Program is comprehensive, considering academic performance, teacher feedback, and demonstrated potential. This process ensures that students ready for greater challenge and support are given the opportunity. iXtend reflects Denison College’s commitment to knowing, valuing, and caring for every student, empowering those with high potential to reach their personal best.

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High Potential & Gifted Education (HPGE) classes in Year 7 Music and Visual Arts

Kelso High Campus offers Year 7 High Potential and Gifted Education classes in Music and Visual Arts. We recognise the importance of the Creative Arts in developing collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking within social and emotional learning. Our Creative and Performing Arts staff are dedicated to supporting every student’s potential through high expectations and evidence-based teaching, creating engaging and challenging learning environments. Significant adjustments and interventions are provided to meet the advanced needs of highly gifted students. Students can apply for both the iXtend High Potential and Gifted Education program and the Year 7 Music and Visual Arts classes. Applications require each student to submit a portfolio of experience, such as artworks, certificates, eisteddfod participation, or teacher references. This information helps teachers select the students best suited to the program. Kelso High Campus is committed to nurturing high potential and gifted students in the Creative Arts through tailored, high-quality instruction.

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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 Kelso High Campus, we are committed to providing a rich and engaging learning environment for High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students through carefully designed activities that nurture their unique abilities. Our HPGE program features tasks that adjust pace, complexity, and higher-order thinking, ensuring each student is challenged appropriately. We employ formative assessment techniques to monitor growth and adapt learning pathways dynamically, supporting advanced learning opportunities.

Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies empowers students to approach challenges with confidence. We encourage abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth, offering tasks that promote choice, authenticity, creativity and potential cross-curricular projects. Flexible grouping enables collaborative ideation and presentation, fostering teamwork and diverse perspectives.

Supportive learning environments provide a safe space for exploration and self-assessment, where feedback and goal setting help students recognise and build on their talents. Leadership opportunities are available within classroom activities, supported by structured peer collaboration and reflection to deepen understanding and interpersonal skills.

Whilst we do have dedicated High Potential and Gifted Education classroom streams, we are committed to every classroom offering opportunities for all students to display their potential and achieve their best.

Across our school

At Kelso High Campus, students engage in diverse programs that extend learning beyond the classroom, promoting excellence across all domains.

Physical Domain

Gifted athletes participate in inclusive, competitive sports programs fostering excellence and leadership.
Students also build physical skills and leadership through inclusive sporting programs that encourage community connection. Key events include house competitions and school carnivals, with leadership roles available. Competitive pathways include Western Trials, CKC Cup, and the Denison Cup, alongside electives like Coaching and Sport Management. Whilst the Olympic Change Maker initiative acknowledges the leadership abilities of our high potential sports students.

Creative Domain
Creative talents thrive in visual and performing arts via HPGE Music and Visual Arts classes, CAPA extravaganza nights, and junior and senior rock bands. Participation in public exhibitions and festivals such as the Bathurst Eisteddfod and Bathurst Winter Fest further supports creativity. Technology and Applied Studies enhance this through projects that seek to extend student thinking for innovative solutions and immerse them in contemporary utilisation of technology (e.g. Drones in Schools program) to promote the necessity for creative thinking as a part of problem solving.

Social-Emotional Domain
Leadership opportunities through the Student Leadership Team and Student Council develop communication, teamwork, and responsibility. They also introduce students to diverse forums where their beliefs are challenged and solutions to complex problems require higher order thinking. Programs such as Walan Yinaagirbang celebrate cultural pride and inclusion. Students participate in programs where the high school collaborates with primary schools and community groups to create learning activities that require students to grow as individuals and build their social competencies.

Intellectual Domain
Academic extension involves differentiated curricula and inquiry-based learning which are found across all curriculum areas. Elective courses provide student choice and a greater capacity for high potential to be realized, whilst HSC extension courses across multiple KLAs are at the apex of our capacity to grow senior students intellectually in the classroom. Enrichment includes expert sessions (e.g., Eddie Woo), competitions like the Big Science Competition and HSIE excursions focused on real-world problem-solving. Challenges such as the Denison Decathlon and the Denison Writing Festival enhance critical thinking and collaboration.

Multiple Domains
Many activities, like the Denison College Cattle Leading Team, Davinci Decathlon teams and The Young Entrepreneurs Project integrate skills across multiple domains, fostering holistic student development.

Department of Education Supported

Department of Education supported programs play a vital role in nurturing the potential of high potential and gifted education (HPGE) students across creative, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional domains. Statewide sporting initiatives such as the Western Region representation and NSWCHS Sporting programs provide opportunities that foster excellence, leadership, teamwork, and physical development. In the creative arts, programs including the Schools Spectacular, Western Region and state-level Creative and Performance Arts Festivals and Camps, and the WorldSkills Competition in Technology and Applied Studies offer diverse experiences that extend beyond the classroom, promoting innovation, critical thinking, and creativity. Additionally, the Premier’s Reading Challenge offers a valuable platform to encourage literacy, imagination, and a lifelong love of reading.

By offering opportunities tailored to students’ strengths and interests, our public education system ensures equitable access to challenges that develop resilience and interpersonal skills. These programs support well-rounded development, preparing students for future academic, personal, and professional success. Importantly, statewide support reinforces a consistent and inclusive approach to HPGE, enabling students to thrive in supportive environments while connecting with peers and mentors. This coordinated effort ensures gifted students are recognised and encouraged to reach their full potential, positively impacting schools, communities, and broader society.

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