Inspire – High potential and gifted education

The KMHS Stage4 Academic Stream program is aligned to the High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) policy. The Years 7 and 8 classes are designed to support academic opportunities for students who:

• Have advanced learning potential and development compared to their cohort.
• Perform strongly in particular areas of subjects and co-curricular domains.
• Have high potential in a particular learning area - intellectual, creative, socio-emotional or physical.
• Can benefit from additional challenge and extension in their learning.

Students in the Stage 4 Academic Stream are assigned teacher mentors, supporting each student to set personal learning goals and to provide ongoing guidance throughout the year.

In Stage 6, we offer a broad selection of courses, including a variety of extension subjects.

The school supports students undertaking academically challenging courses in Years 11 and 12 by offering small class sizes for more individualised tuition, providing staff with HSC marking experience and professional learning to ensure expert guidance, as well as running a mentoring program and tutoring for Year 12 students.

At Kariong Mountains High School, we are committed to providing an inclusive education that caters to the diverse strengths of all our students. This means that those with talents in various areas are given genuine opportunities to shine and develop.

As a smaller high school, our students enjoy greater chances to take on leadership roles, participate in events and have their abilities recognised – they are not just one among many in a large cohort. We focus on building their confidence and skills, helping them to thrive in Leadership and Citizenship. This supportive environment has consistently seen our students pre-selected into the Macquarie University Global Leadership program.

We believe that when students are known individually, more of their talents are uncovered and nurtured. Our dedicated staff understand each student well and encourage them to grow and flourish.

Our Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) program is led by staff who are successful practising artists and performers in their own right. Talented students receive individual support throughout their school journey, tailored to their interests and passion.

Through classes, clubs, workshops, competitions and specialised courses such as Music Industry (in partnership with The Grove Studios), students have many opportunities to develop and showcase their skills outside the classroom in real-world contexts, making learning relevant and meaningful.

The Kariong Mountains community has a strong tradition of active participation in sport.

Our school’s sports program is led by PDHPE staff and designed to develop students’ skills across a variety of games with expert guidance. Talented students have the chance to represent the school in a range of sports where they excel. Students can also take part in sport-based elective classes, lunchtime competitions and external sporting events.

• Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking​.
• Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning​.
• Advanced learning pathways, including accelerated or compacted content​.
• Explicit teaching of critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.
• Opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth​.
• Tasks that promote choice, authenticity, and critical and creative thinking​ including cross-curricular projects.
• Flexible grouping for collaborative ideation and presentation​.
• Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE​.
• Targeted learning goals for coordination, agility, and control​.
• Opportunities to take on lead roles in physical demonstrations or team strategy​.
• 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​.

• Academic competitions
• Music band practice and performance
• Visual arts engagement
• Team sports
• Sport carnivals
• Performance-based movement groups
• Peer mentoring
• Student leadership (SRC)
• Wellbeing programs
• Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives.
• Opportunities to work with our partner primary school students, to run HPGE program in science.
• Access to university-run programs
• Access to leadership and innovation programs, such as Max Potential and the Illuminate Challenge.

• The Premier’s Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading and is open for high school students up to Year 10.

• STEM opportunities deepen our students’ intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
• The Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA and CHSSA events enable our students to trial and compete in sports at regional, state and national levels, fostering discipline, commitment and collaboration.
• Participation in state-wide and regional dance ensembles, such as Starstruck and Central Coast Showcase develops our high potential and gifted Stage 5 dance students’ technical skills, performance presence and physical expressiveness.
• Our HPGE mentoring program connects our students with trusted teaching staff to build confidence, motivation and interpersonal skills - through active goal-setting and talent development.