HPGE and Opportunity Class

All schools have high potential and gifted students who benefit from learning experiences that meet their needs across all domains: intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical. 

The High Potential and Gifted Education Policy (HPGE) promotes engagement and challenge for every student in every school across all domains of potential while explicitly identifying and addressing the learning needs of high-potential and gifted students.

Penrith Public School (PS) values our High Potential and Gifted Education students (HPGE). For many years our HPGE students have been given opportunities to develop their talents through our Enrichment Program. In 2025, the school will also establish an Opportunity Class.

The Enrichment Program is offered to high potential and gifted students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Students in the Enrichment Program are encouraged to deepen their understanding of content, to think creatively to solve a range of problems, engage in STEM tasks, and to pursue their interests and talents in a supportive environment. Some of the activities include:

Competitions - Students in grades 3-6 can participate in the Australian Maths Competition. We select students who have demonstrated an interest and aptitude in mathematics to compete in our Maths Olympiad team. The Maths Olympiad is a series of four contests in a year aimed at high achieving grade five and six students.  

Peer Mentoring - We would like to thank our friends at Penrith Selective High School for their on-going support in peer-mentoring our HPGE students in mathematics.  

Author Pen Pal - Penrith PS partners with an author pen pal to support students' understanding of writing as a profession. We would like to thank author/illustrator Vivien Wall for her dedication to our students through the program this year. Students have written to Vivien Wall and had all their questions answered. They have been inspired to follow their literary dreams.   

STEM - Students engage in STEM challenges and are encouraged to use their skills to better our school in meaningful ways. STEM increases innovative thinking, encourages curiosity, inspires creativity and ingenuity, fosters collaboration and communication, builds confidence and experimentation while preparing students for careers of the future. Students have the opportunity to submit their application in external design competitions.

Lego Club - Students from K-4 are welcome to join our Lego Club during break times. Imagination and collaborative skills are valued and supported during this time.  

Special Occasions - Several special days are recognised and celebrated throughout the year including Pi Day and National Science Week to support student understanding and engagement in these learning areas. 

Leadership - Students engage in a variety of leadership opportunities throughout the year. Students develop skills such as decision-making, speaking confidently, organisation, teamwork, We had a working NAIDOC Team who ran all of the activities to promote Aboriginal education and connection in our school community.   

Technology - Students have access to a range of technologies to support their learning and interests including laptops, three-dimensional printers, coding programs, bots and Lego Technic.

Opportunity classes are selective classes offered in primary school for students in Years 5 to 6. Parents/carers apply when their child is in Year 4. Students complete an examination in Year 4 for a place in a Year 5 opportunity class. You can include up to 2 school choices when you are applying for an opportunity class. 

Each year, students in Year 4 who are offered a place in an opportunity class at our school will receive a ‘Welcome’ letter with further information about the school, the date for an orientation day and details about enrolment and organisation for their new class.

Selective education is one of the ways that the department supports students with high academic potential. Selective education includes selective high schools and opportunity classes.

Selective education has many benefits, including:

• Students learn alongside, and form friendships with, other high potential and gifted classmates.

• Special teaching methods allow students to learn at a quicker pace and in more detail. 

• Research shows that students benefit both academically and socially when learning with classmates who have similar abilities.

Opportunity classes and selective high schools are not zoned so you can apply to schools outside your catchment area.

Use the following maps to find your closest:

·         opportunity classes 

·         selective high schools.

Is selective education the right fit for my child?

High potential and gifted students can be found across diverse family, socio-economic, language, cultural backgrounds and geographic locations.

Your child may have high academic potential if they demonstrate some of the following: 

• enjoy learning

• have intense curiosity

• display a good memory

• ask complex questions 

• enjoy learning new and often complex ideas or skills

• require fewer repetitions when learning new things

• are creative

• become intensely focused in their area/s of interest. 

Note: Not all high potential and gifted students will display all of these characteristics, for example, due to disability, disadvantage or lack of opportunity.

Learn more about the department’s High Potential and Gifted Education Policy.