High potential and gifted education

Stage 4 Academic Stream

The KMHS Academic Stream Selective School Values Program and High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) framework are designed to support 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.

Extension Courses and Individual Instruction

In Stage 6 we offer a wide selection of courses, including the range of extension courses. The school supports students studying academically challenging courses in Years 11 and 12, through providing small class sizes for more individualised tuition, supporting staff in HSC marking experience and professional learning to provide expert guidance for HSC success, a mentoring program for Year 12, tutoring and ‘homework’ clubs.

Student Leadership Programs

At Kariong Mountains High School we provide inclusive education to meet the diverse needs of all our students. This means, that those students who are gifted in other areas also have opportunities to shine and grow.  As a smaller sized high school, our students have more opportunities to show leadership, participate in events and have their talents recognised as they are not just one of many in a big cohort.  We build up their confidence and expertise, resulting in students flourishing in the domains of Leadership and Citizenship.  Such opportunities, have led to students being pre-selected into the Macquarie University Global Leadership program each year of our HSC after our first cohort. It is a reasonable assertion to make that more students have the chance to have their talent recognised and realised, when they can stand out because they are not just one of a large crowd.  Our staff know their students well, and can therefore, encourage them to stand up and flourish.

Opportunities in Creative and Performing Arts

Our Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) program is led by staff who are successful artists and performers in their own right. Support for talented students is provided throughout their school career on a unique and individual level that matches their interests and passion. Through classes, clubs, work crews, competitions and tailored courses such as Music Industry (partnering with The Grove Studios), students have many opportunities to demonstrate their growing skillsets outside the classroom in authentic contexts; making learning relevant.

Opportunities in Sport

Kariong Mountains Communities have a fine tradition of active engagement in sports. Our school sports program is integrated and led by PDHPE staff, thereby developing students’ skills across a range of games types with expert guidance. Talented students have the opportunity to represent the school in a range of different sports in which they excel. Students can also participate in sport-based elective classes, lunchtime competitions and sporting teams for external competitions.

In our classroom

• 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​.

Across our school

• STEM and coding clubs
• Academic competitions
• Critical thinking workshops
• 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.

Across NSW

• The Premier’s Debating Challenge helps our students to build logical arguments and confidence in public speaking.

• Our STEM Enrichment Partnerships with industry and universities deepen our students’ intellectual curiosity while developing innovation and collaboration.
• Involvement in the Game Changer Challenge empowers our students to solve future-focused problems using design thinking.
• The Schools Spectacular is an iconic performing arts event that celebrates the talents, diversity and creativity of students from across NSW public schools.
• Participation in (state/regional) drama ensembles promotes character exploration, storytelling and expressive freedom for our Stage 5 high potential and gifted drama students.
• 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 dance ensembles develops our high potential and gifted Stage 5 dance students’ technical skills, performance presence and physical expressiveness.
• Our mentoring programs connect our students with trusted adults including school alumni to build confidence, motivation, and interpersonal skills.