High potential and gifted education

In our classrooms

In our classrooms, we implement targeted strategies and innovative practices designed to challenge and engage students across all domains of High Potential and Gifted Education, ensuring that each learner’s unique strengths are recognised and nurtured. This includes:

• Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking​.
• Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
• Learning intention with success criteria aligned to the curriculum and designed to challenge every student.
• Extension opportunities across all stages, including Stage 4 & 5 HPGE Focus classes (commencing in 2026), as well as an extensive offering of HSC Extension courses.
• Dynamic and enhanced learning facilities that foster engagement in real-world applications of learning linked to community partners and future learning pathways.
• Every child has access to the latest learning technology, with laptops available every lesson and student access to enhanced learning platforms such as Atomi, ClickView and MathsOnline provided by the school.
• High teacher-to-student ratio (1:24) with classes developed to maximise learning and acceleration. In Year 7, our classes are smaller to provide extra support for students in the critical first year of high school.

HPGE Focus Classes (Extension)

Curriculum strategies for HPGE identified students may include:

• Differentiation: modifying the pace, level and content of teaching, learning and assessment activities
• Assessing a student's current level of learning and addressing aspects of the curriculum that have not yet been mastered.

The Lake Macquarie High School HPGE Focus class program offers students who are intellectually focused and or talented the chance to extend their learning in an environment with like-minded students and enhanced curriculum opportunities.

Students accepted into this programme will be encouraged to participate in a range of extracurricular activities such as cross-curricular projects, external competitions and maintain a focus towards high levels of achievement in the HSC and beyond.

The application process commences in Term 3 each year, with students being placed in the class for the following year. The application requires both parent and student to reflect on their potential to move to high performance and how their inclusion in the class will benefit their learning aspirations.

Across our school

At Lake Macquarie High School, we take pride in offering a range of HPGE opportunities to increase engagement and achievement across the four HPGE domains.

Intellectual Domain:

• University of Newcastle Science and Engineering Challenge
• Early commencement VET in Year 10
• Enhanced Careers and Transition programs
• ICAS competitions - English, Writing, Spelling, Maths, Science, Digital Technologies

Marine Ecology Academy – Lake Macquarie High School is uniquely located beside the largest saltwater lake in Australia. Our new Marine Ecology lab will bring the lake to our laboratory with enhanced equipment such as wave tanks, ecology columns and various equipment for students to use to understand the lake environment and ecology.

Links with local community assets enhance the curriculum as we also include learning activities linked to water craft, boat building and sailing. Our future planning includes aquaculture programs for the study of lake species and conservation.

Creative Arts Domain:

• Star Struck Dance
• Young Dobell Art Competition
• Young Archibald Competition
• Hunter / Central Coast Public Speaking
• Yapang artists in residence and gallery visits
• New recording studio
• MADD (Music, Art, Dance and Drama) Performances

Creative Arts Pathway – our creative and visual arts curriculum is enhanced with a strong partnership with yapang Lake Macquarie Museum of Arts and Culture. This long-standing relationship fosters student immersion in art making, art curation, art installation and art ideation as our students work with artists in residence and exhibit their work to the public.

Physical Domain:

• Swimming Carnival
• Athletics Carnival
• Cross Country Carnival
• CHS Sport opportunities
• Col Whitney Cup
• Lauren Culthorpe Cup
• Small Schools Athletics mentoring
• Enhanced sports and fitness curriculum with indoor and outdoor gym facilities

Social-emotional Learning Domain

• Positive Behaviour for Learning across all areas of the school
• Aboriginal Languages Program with Uncle Tony Ridgeway
• Wellbeing Hub and Student Support Officers
• HSC Mentor programs to individually support students
• Focus Days for each year group
• Aboriginal Cultural Group
• Aboriginal Girls Dance program with Aunty Jill Green
• Pacifika Cultural Group

Lake Macquarie Area Collegiate – our Community of Schools includes Boolaroo Public School, Booragul Public School, Fassifern Public School, Fennel Bay Public School, Speers Point Public School and Teralba Public School.

This long-standing partner offers ever-increasing opportunities for successful transition to high school and builds leadership and learning confidence in senior students.

As a Community of Schools (CoS), we lead the way with partnerships for learning, offering HPGE opportunities from Year 3 onwards at Lake Macquarie High School. These include:

·         Iron Chef – Year 3 and 4 students involved in Food Technology programs to build understanding of food science and preparation.

·         Stage 3 Acceleration – Year 5 students who have been identified as having high potential in mathematics will be able to access early commencement Stage 4 classes while they are in Year 6. This will also enhance their move to secondary education.

·         HeadStart Transition – as a CoS we lead the way in NSW with enhanced transition programs to high school. Immersion days are offered each term for Year 6 to attend and be engaged in our curriculum. This program caters to all four areas of the HPGE ethos.

·         All primary schools have access to use Lake Macquarie High School facilities with their students, such as the Marine Ecology lab, Recording Studio, Art Making spaces, Marine water craft and indoor gym to enrich their curriculum and offer opportunities for senior students to mentor their primary peers.

Across NSW

Across NSW and beyond, our students at Lake Macquarie High School engage at the highest levels of competition and collaboration. This includes:

• The Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC), which promotes whole-school participation in physical activity
• CHSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
• The Premier’s Reading Challenge, inspiring students to cultivate a passion for reading
• Nomination and support for participation in Star Struck
• Engagement in student leadership conferences, expanding student networks and leadership capacity.