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.
At the heart of our school’s ethos lies an unwavering commitment to unleashing the full potential of every student—our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) program is a testament to this vision. We don’t simply offer extension opportunities; we cultivate a thriving culture where curiosity, creative expression, sporting excellence, and social-emotional growth intersect and flourish. From cutting-edge academic challenges and accelerated courses to dynamic leadership initiatives, performing arts, community engagement, and elite sporting pathways, our program is meticulously designed to ignite passions, foster resilience, and prepare young minds for the complex demands of tomorrow’s world. At Killara Student, every student is empowered to transcend the conventional, embrace rigorous inquiry, and lead with confidence—not just within these walls, but in an ever-evolving global community. The list below is more than a collection of activities; it is an interconnected web that demonstrates our commitment to excellence, innovation, and nurturing tomorrow’s leaders today.
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.
Entry via selection process commencing in Year 6
[YEARS 9-11]
Entry via selection process in Year 8. HSC Aboriginal Studies and HSC Investigating Science offered in 2025
[YEAR 7]
In-class, all subjects, opt-in extension challenges
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Monday afternoon, fun, mentoring and skill development
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Term 2, Friday afternoon, Chess rating usually expected to participate.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Wednesday and Thursday afternoon,
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Extra-curricular, rehearsals and workshops after school. Regular performance opportunities.
[YEARS 9-11]
Duke of Edinburgh is a worldwide activities program where participants, aged 14 or more select and set objectives in each of the following areas: volunteering, physical activities, practical and social skills and expeditions. Our program is the largest comprehensive public school DEAS program in NSW. More than 100 Year 9 students enrol each year.
[YEARS 7 & 8]
For the bookworms. We encourage students who love to read by creating a structure and culture of reading for pleasure.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
The NSW Department of Education's (DoE) Game Changer Challenge is an award-winning design thinking competition for public school students (Years 3-12) to solve real-world "wicked problems," like ensuring sustainable futures (Planet, People, Places in 2025) using creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking, empowering them to develop innovative solutions with industry support and showcase their ideas through portfolios and pitches.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Linked in with Kuringai Rotary, students engage in local and international community service projects. Currently working to support Killara Rural Fire Service. Weekly meetings, held Monday Recess.
[YEARS 7-10]
Killara Academy is a weekly program of guest speakers and hands-on experiences that introduces students to inspiring people and careers. We explicitly teach the importance of growth-mindset, strengthen our culture of academic excellence, and develop practical life skills. Terms 2-3, Tuesday mornings, with some excursions. Certificate of Completion awarded to students who complete the program. Applications open Term 1.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Organised by our highly committed PDHPE faculty, opportunities arise throughout the year and are communicated to students for trials and nominations.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Hugely popular and run by our committed, energetic and passionate mathematics faculty. Students engage in a range of Mathematics enrichment competitions, including ongoing problem solving and more traditional “test” competitions.
[YEARS 9 & 10 ]
Stage 5 students who demonstrate High Potential in and performance in mathematics will be invited to join our Paths Plus classes. These extension and enrichment classes more quickly, broadly and deeply to extend students mathematical skills. This highly successful program works within our curriculum structures and feeds into Stage 6 Extension courses.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Every 2 years, 100 students and a team of teachers combine to create a spectacular musical production. Auditions are held in Term 3 of the ‘off-year’ with rehearsals commencing in Term 4.
[YEAR 10]
Peer Support Leaders are Year 10 students who apply in Year 9, and take part in a program to guide Year 7 students in their first year of high school.
[YEAR 12]
A new program from our Growth and Attainment Team, Year 12 students volunteer to work with junior students in selected classes to provide additional support.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Our PAE program gives students the coaching and expertise needed to build successful performance skills in a range of ensembles across musical genres. The program currently consists of Concert Bands, Stage Bands, String Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Dance, Rock Bands and orchestra.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Leadership election processes commence Term 2. 4 Leadership Councils and Prefects. Our student leadership program develops teamwork, communication, goal-setting to project delivery to build school spirit and promote social responsibility. Councils are open to junior and senior students (years 8-12). Each council includes the captains and vice captains, and representatives from each year group, voted by their peers.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Open to support students seeking extra time to continue academic growth. Monday afternoons in the Library.
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Thursday afternoon, fun, mentoring and skill development
[ALL YEAR GROUPS]
Zonta is a women’s leadership and empowerment program. Open to all students. Meets Thursday Recess.
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
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.
Our high potential and gifted education opportunities
Our students engage with HPGE education in the classroom, in our school, and across NSW.
Killara High School is a supportive and focused learning environment where high-potential and gifted students are supported to convert potential into performance through a wide range of opportunities and programs.
- All teachers use explicit teaching methodologies to ensure students understand what they are learning, how they are learning it, and why it matters in every lesson.
- Teachers foster critical thinking and problem-solving through sophisticated questioning and opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and depth.
- We provide supportive learning environments that promote exploration and self-assessment, encouraging academic risk-taking and persistence.
Lessons and tasks are differentiated through increased complexity and higher-order thinking, supported by ongoing formative assessment to monitor student growth and inform responsive teaching.
Our school provides a broad range of co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities that support students to develop skills, capabilities, and dispositions beyond the classroom.
- All students, including those identified as high potential and gifted, are encouraged to take on leadership roles through the Student Representative Council (SRC), mentoring and peer coaching programs, and the leadership of significant school events such as ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day, and NAIDOC assemblies.
- Our Duke of Edinburgh Award program extends students' learning outside of school. It aims to engage young people in the broader world where they learn new skills, promoting physical health and volunteering in the community while achieving their Bronze, Silver or Gold level awards.
- Talented athletes are supported to participate and excel at high levels through knockout teams and representative pathways, with opportunities that promote high-level physical performance, leadership development, and collaborative learning.
- Talent in the Creative Arts is recognised, celebrated and extended through our extensive Performing Arts Ensembles program and Light and Sound team. Our highly talented students engage in events through the Art Unit such, including School Spectacular, ArtExpress, Combined Schools Musical, AYTP, OnStage and Festival of Choral Music amongst many other opportunities.
- We offer multiple peer leadership and mentoring programs, including volunteering, peer support, lunch clubs and peer mentoring.
- Our students continue to participate in a wide range of competitive opportunities, including gala days, Combined High Schools knock out competitions and selection through to zone, regional and state carnivals.
- Killara High School also engages students in numerous academic and co-curricular competitions, including Mathematics competitions, Chess tournaments, the Game Changer Challenge, Debating, and Public Speaking competitions, among many others.
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.
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.