High potential and gifted education

At Prestons Public School we are passionate about supporting every child to reach their full potential through a diverse selection of High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) initiatives. Our classrooms, from Kindergarten through to Year 6, offer stimulating and thought-provoking learning experiences that encourage growth, creativity, and foster a genuine love of learning.

We provide students across all years with a curriculum that is carefully differentiated, offering tasks that vary in pace, complexity, and challenge students to think at higher levels. Individual strengths and interests are recognised and addressed through tailored supports, enabling all learners at Prestons to flourish.

Our teaching practices place a strong focus on explicitly developing critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, seamlessly incorporated into every learning area. Ongoing formative assessment guides our approach, helping us track individual progress and adjust learning opportunities where needed.

Students engaged in HPGE programs benefit from challenging activities and resources that stretch their capabilities, while still ensuring all curriculum requirements are met. At Prestons Public School, we embed our 7 Learner Qualities—problem solver, curiosity, resilience, reflective, determined, collaborative, and brave—throughout every aspect of school life, empowering our students to excel and confidently face new challenges.

At Prestons Public School, we offer a diverse range of High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) opportunities designed to inspire and challenge every student.

Our passion projects, open to the whole school, include exciting activities such as STEM and coding, LEGO challenges, photography, music, dance, and other creative pursuits that foster innovation, critical thinking, and self-expression.

Students also engage in prestigious academic competitions including ICAS, Tournament of the Minds, local school maths challenges, The Premier's Spelling Bee, Maths Olympiad and the Game Changer program, encouraging intellectual growth and collaboration.

Our vibrant school concerts showcase talents in creative arts and drama, alongside cultural dance groups that celebrate our rich diversity. Our dance groups perform at local events including the Liverpool Arts and Film Festival and shopping centres. Our visual arts are proudly displayed in our fence art gallery, highlighting the exceptional work of our young artists. Our Bi-annual concerts are highly anticipated and a fabulous showcase of our students talents in creative arts

Sporting excellence is nurtured through teams representing Prestons at local, Zone, Regional, and State levels, promoting teamwork and school spirit.

Social and emotional development is equally prioritised, with opportunities such as debating and public speaking, student leadership through the student parliament, the Prestons Pride Learner Quality Team, as well as the buddy program and PALS leaders fostering confidence, communication skills, and a strong sense of community. Our wellbeing programs support social and emotional learning, complemented by whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives that create a safe, supportive environment where every student can flourish.

Together, these offerings reflect Prestons Public School’s commitment to nurturing well-rounded, confident, and capable learners across academic, creative, social, and emotional domains.

At Prestons Public School our students actively participate in a wide variety of High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) programs across NSW that enhance our students’ academic, creative, social, and physical development. The Premier’s Spelling Bee encourages our students to expand their vocabulary and sharpen their attention to detail within a competitive framework. Through Debating competitions, students develop confidence in public speaking and the ability to construct logical, persuasive arguments.

Our involvement in the Game Changer Challenge empowers students to tackle future-focused problems by applying design thinking and innovative problem-solving skills. Alongside this, the Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) promotes whole-school engagement in physical activity, alongside leadership opportunities and professional learning for staff.

Students also have opportunities to participate in the Representative School Sport Pathway and PSSA events, where they can trial and compete at regional, state, and national levels. These sporting programs foster key values such as discipline, commitment, and teamwork, supporting the holistic growth of every learner. Through participation in these diverse NSW HPGE offerings, Prestons Public School is proud to support our students in reaching their highest potential across multiple domains.