High potential and gifted education
Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may shine in creativity, thinking, leadership or sport.
At our school, we recognise and nurture these strengths early. We support advanced learners with great lessons and activities to help them grow and thrive.
Why choose us for your high potential or gifted child?
Recognising potential and developing talent
Our teachers find potential and nurture our students to be the best they can be.
Tailored lessons
Each student has different abilities. Teachers respond to each student’s ability by providing extra challenges and extension activities to keep learning exciting and engaging.
Rich opportunities and activities
Students can take part in opportunities to develop their talent in the arts, sport, leadership and more.
Opening doors to wider experiences
Our students can participate in a wide range of state-wide opportunities that aim to extend and enrich student potential.
What is high potential and gifted education?
High potential and gifted education (HPGE) is how our school supports students with advanced learning needs.
We do this through:
- effective teaching strategies like enrichment, extension and acceleration
- tailored support during lessons that stretch, challenge and inspire
- access to a wide range of opportunities both within and beyond our school.
Our high potential and gifted education opportunities
Our students engage with HPGE education in the classroom, in our school, and across NSW.
Davidson High school creates a supportive and stimulating environment where high potential and gifted students can thrive and develop into confident, capable individuals. Our program offers potential selective high school students the high academic standard they are seeking, but in a setting which is co-educational, socially cohesive and community focused.
- Our school follows the explicit teaching where we foster critical thinking and problem-solving strategies providing opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and curriculum depth.
- Our classes have structured peer collaboration and reflection where strengths-based feedback and goal setting are part of learning process.
- We provide supportive learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment creating a safe learning environments that encourage confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.
- Classes have differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking followed by formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
In class oportunites include:
- STEM X
- Science Fair
- Extension in Mathematics
Our school recognises that every student is individual, and we provide flexible and diverse opportunities for students to explore and grow their strengths outside the classroom.
- All our students, including high potential and gifted students, are encouraged to take on leadership roles through student representative council leadership, mentoring programs and peer coaching and leadership of major events including ANZAC, Remembrance Day and NAIDOC assemblies.
- Our Duke of Edinburgh program exists to further students' learning outside of school. It aims to engage young people in the broader world where they learn new skills, promoting physical health and volunteering in the community while achieving thei Bronze, Silver or Gold level awards.
- In our talented athlete program, students who are identified as an athlete that competes at a high level (Representative, State, etc) are supported through participation in high level physical activity with leadership pathways and collaborative learning.
- Talent in the Creative Arts is celebrated and extended through in music ensembles, choir and drama, supported by a student stage crew who run sound, lighting and production. Our highly talented students engage in events through the Educcation Department's Art Unit such as, Pulse Alive, ArtExpress, Davidson High School's Season of Performing Arts (SOPA), School Spectacular amongst many other opportunities.
- Year 9 students who are trained as Mentors, support select Year 7 students in developing goals, establishing good study habits, and building healthy friendships. This provides our Year 9 students with valuable opportunities to improve their communication skills through listening, questioning, and giving and receiving feedback, ultimately building their emotional intelligence, and establishing themselves as role models to younger students within the school.
Other in school oportunites include:
- Write a Book in a Day
- Public Speaking
- Art Club
- Eco Club
- Multi Media Club
- Our students continues to participate in many competitions including gala days, combined high schools knock out competitions and selection through to zone, regional and state carnivals.
- Davidson High School participates in ICAS English, Mathematics, Digital Technologies and Science, Australian Maths Competition (AMC) and Computational & Algorithmic Thinking Maths Competition (CAT).
- Additional students have opportunities to be involved in School Spectacular, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Debating, Write a Book in a Day and numerous Ensemble groups.
STEM X Academy
STEM X (Extension & Excellence) is Davidson High School’s innovative stage 4 and 5 programs (year 7 -10) designed to extend and enrich students’ engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The program provides opportunities for highly motivated students to go beyond the classroom curriculum, applying their learning to real-world problems and future-focused challenges.
Through hands-on projects, competitions, and collaborations with universities and industry partners, students develop critical and creative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. STEM X participants are encouraged to design, build, test, and refine innovative solutions, while also strengthening their scientific literacy and communication skills.
Key features of STEM X include:
- Competitions & Challenges – Participation in events such as the Science and Engineering Challenge, Hackathons, and the NRMA Future of Transport Challenge.
- Student Showcases – Opportunities for students to present projects at the annual Science Fair, Science Week activities, and community STEM events.
- Inquiry & Innovation – Encouraging curiosity-driven investigations, data science, and STEM literacy skills that prepare students for future study and careers.
STEM X embodies Davidson’s commitment to nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers.
Davidson High School Science Fair
The Davidson High School Science Fair is a celebration of curiosity, creativity, and innovation. Each year, the event brings together over 150 visiting primary school students and features more than 100 student-led projects from Years 7–10. This makes the Science Fair one of the largest and most vibrant showcases of student science learning in our community.
The Science Fair is an opportunity for students to:
- Apply classroom knowledge to real-world questions and challenges.
- Develop scientific literacy by analysing data, communicating findings, and presenting ideas with clarity and confidence.
- Engage with the community as parents, peers, teachers, and industry experts explore projects and provide feedback.
- Celebrate achievement through awards, people’s choice voting, and recognition of innovation, creativity, and scientific rigour.
The event highlights Davidson’s commitment to fostering a culture of inquiry, collaboration, and excellence in STEM education, while inspiring the next generation of thinkers, researchers, and innovators.
HPGE in Sports
Opportunities for HPGE students in the physical domain exist for Davidson students through school teams and teams at representative levels from zone to state.
Students can participate in school teams if they qualify through trials and carnivals. This is also the case for higher level representation where students nominate to trial for Sydney North teams and beyond. Students can nominate themselves and particular students are encouraged to nominate through identification in PDHPE lessons and the school’s sport program.
This year an initiative was implemented in Year 7 sport where students participated in a range of fitness tests. Students who excelled in certain components were encouraged personally and through contact with parents to compete in events at the school sports carnivals that linked to the fitness components the students had shown excellence in.
Write a Book in a Day
The English faculty works closely with the Davidson High School library to ensure that students are exposed to a range of classic and contemporary texts. Our school librarian runs a weekly Book Club, and book suggestions are curated to meet the interest levels and needs of our avid readers. In addition, our team hosts the popular Write a Book in a Day challenge, which aims to develop advanced written communication skills, critical thinking and creative writing abilities. As past winners of the Upper Secondary Best Book category, our students are inspired to create fun and engaging stories that are aimed at a real-world audience. Along the way, they develop skills in planning, collaborating and delegating to achieve their final product.
Public Speaking and Debating
The Davidson High School English faculty focuses on enhancing students’ high potential through activities such as debating and public speaking. In addition to participating in the Premier’s Debating Challenge, we have a unique relationship with the Belrose Rotary Club, who coordinate the annual Rotary-Davidson High School Junior Public Speaking Awards. Targeting the Intellectual Domain, debating and public speaking offers students the opportunity to develop analytical thinking, reasoning, and argumentation skills. The emphasis on public speaking in our HPGE initiatives enhances skills in collaboration, verbal expression, and persuasive communication, cultivating a broad range of talents that contribute to academic and personal growth.
Mathematics
At our school, we are committed to identifying and nurturing High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students through a range of enriching and challenging opportunities. From Year 7, we stream our mathematics classes to ensure that HPGE students are placed in environments where they can be appropriately extended. Our top-performing Year 7 students are invited to participate in mathematics games competitions that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. In Year 8, all students engage in the World of Maths incursion—an interactive and stimulating experience that promotes mathematical exploration beyond the classroom.
As students progress through Stage 5, our mathematics syllabus structure allows us to further extend HPGE learners through a blend of Core and more demanding Path content. This flexible approach supports deeper learning and provides a strong foundation for future study in Mathematics Advanced and Mathematics Extension 1 in senior years. Students who demonstrate exceptional aptitude may also be offered the opportunity to accelerate beyond their year group, ensuring that their academic needs are continually met. Additionally, the ICAS Mathematics competition is open to any interested junior students, offering another avenue for academic challenge and recognition.
Help for your high potential child
If your child shows signs of high potential, contact us. We can share how our HPGE support can guide their learning journey.
Student opportunities and activities
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Learning
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