High Potential and Gifted Education (Formerly GATs)

High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE; formerly GATs)

The Department of Education and communities has an extensive policy regarding the implementation of High Potential and Gifted Education programs within school.

School communities have the responsibility to:

• Develop effective and equitable procedures for identifying high potential and gifted students
• Implement developmentally appropriate programs for gifted and talented students
• Foster collaborative home-school partnerships to support high potential and gifted students

Teachers have the responsibility to:

• Select and implement a variety of teaching strategies for inclusion in programs for the range of gifted and talented students in their classes

At The Ponds High School we have dedicated HPGE classes for each year group as well as differentiated learning in every classroom, ensuring targeted teaching and learning activities are implemented to nurture the development of HPGE students.

In addition, The Ponds High School also offers a growing range of HPGE initatives within the school, including:

• High Schievers Academy (NEW) - a dedicated talent development program designed to support students in becoming lifelong learners
• InnovateX - a Year 7 design-thinking program fostering creativity, innovation and student agency
• Specialise programs for Years 7 and 8, including the Tournament of Minds
• Collaborations with universities, including Macquare University
• Opportunities to compete in academic competitions such as ICAS
• Public speaking and debating programs
• Engagement in inquiry-based learning
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiatives such as 50C Heat Program and CSIRO's Generation STEM
• Professional development for staff in HPGE strategies through UNSW GERRIC (Gifted and Talented Research Resource and Information Centre)
• A diverse range of extracurricular activities and clubs

Application Processes for the Year 7 HPGE classes at The Ponds High School

• All in-area students will be eligible to apply for the class. Applicaiton forms can be downloaded from 26 March 2025 via our school website under the 'Learning at our School' tab and then click on the 'High Potential and Gifted Education' tab.
• The application forms and fees are due to the front office by 3:00pm on Wednesday 30 April 2025
• The classes will be primarily determined through achievement in the domains of literacy and numeracy
• The placement panel will consider a range of data including:
  • Testing results
  • Semester 2, 2024 Year 5 primary school report
  • Year 5 NAPLAN report
  • Participation in external competitions
  • School enrichment programs
  • Previous leadership experience
  • Parental Comment
  • Student Comment   

Students will remain in a core class for English, Mathematics, Science, HSIE, PDHPE and Languages

HPGE Flyer 2024 for Year 7 2026

HPGE Scholarships

The top two performing students as determined by the HPGE panel will receive a scholarship. Included in the scholarship are a HP laptop, the school contributions for the year, entry into the ICAS tests, HOTmaths pack and school calculator.