High potential and gifted education

Realise your child’s potential at Fairfax Public School.

At Fairfax Public School, our close-knit and unique environment embodies our motto, “Not Many but Much.” Our culture of high expectations drives teachers to discover each student’s individual potential, provide meaningful opportunities, and support every learner to be their best.Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may shine in creativity, thinking, leadership or sport.

Why choose us for your high potential or gifted child?

Fairfax Public School recognises students have potential in the four domains: creative, intellectual, physical and social-emotional. We offer opportunities for students in all four domains to grow their potential, strive to improve and subsequently thrive. Knowing our students individually empowers our team to identify and support each student’s potential or talent to achieve at a higher level.

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

Students can take part in opportunities to develop their talent in the arts, sport, leadership and more.

Opening doors to wider experiences

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

We identify students' strengths and use evidence-informed teaching practices to challenge and extend students.

Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking.
Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking including cross-curricular projects.
Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation.
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

Our school recognises that every student is individual, and we provide flexible and diverse opportunities for students to explore and grow their strengths within and beyond the school.

At Fairfax, every learner’s potential is our priority

Our small/unique context and culture of high expectations enable teachers to find potential and nurture our students to be the best they can be as in our school motto - Not many but Much
Our team and the opportunities they provide engage and challenge every student, including a strong focus on talent development for high potential and gifted learners
Our strong social-emotional focus promotes citizenship and strong leadership skill
Student Leadership through Little but Loud meetings/actions
Eisteddfods (music and speech and drama)
Visual arts and drama showcases (Currabubula Small Schools Art Show)
Wellbeing programs (Life Skills Go, Leader in Me)

Across NSW

Our students participate in a wide range of statewide programs depending on student strengths to extend and enrich student potential.

Premier’s Debating Challenge
The Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition
Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition
The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration

Partnership

We partner with local schools and community to deliver teaching and learning experiences and opportunities for all students to develop their potential in all domains: creative, intellectual, physical and social-emotional.

We partner with local schools for:

school sport, swimming, cross country, athletics and inter-school competitions
creative and performing arts groups and showcases
cultural and language activities
excursions and incursions
public speaking and debating
student leadership opportunities

We partner with community groups to:

provide opportunities for student voice and student advocacy
using technology to provide different ways of learning that help students develop their talent, regardless of distance, location or background
deliver wellbeing programs (Centacare programs e.g. Move your Emotions, Rock and Water)