High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

At Ironbark Ridge Public School, high potential and gifted education is part of our everyday teaching and learning practice. We identify students’ learning needs in the classroom and use evidence-informed teaching practices to challenge and extend students, ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive at our school.

Some examples of the evidence-informed teaching practices used in every classroom to support all students include:

·      Supportive learning environments that enable students to reflect on their own learning and set achievable learning goals for themselves

·      Safe learning environments that encourage students to become ‘successful learners’ by adopting explicitly taught habits, including persistence, questioning, courage, feedback and self-reliance

·      Differentiated learning tasks and flexible grouping

·      High expectations embedded in lesson planning

·      Formative assessment tools as part of everyday practice to monitor growth and differentiate learning, supporting all students to succeed

·      Opportunities for student leadership within and beyond the classroom

·      Differentiated movement tasks and skill refinement in PDHPE

·      Authentic and ongoing professional development and collaboration

Across our school

At Ironbark Ridge Public School, we offer a range of programs outside of classroom learning to support student growth. These include:

·      Debating programs and competitions

·      Chess Club and competitions

·      Academic competitions

·      School Bands – Beginner, Intermediate and Senior

·      String Ensemble

·      School Choir

·      Dance Groups – K-2, Stage 2 and Stage 3

·      Visual Arts showcase

·      Lunchtime Crochet Club and Art Club

·      Specialised school excursions

·      House Group Spirit Meetings

·      Formal student leadership opportunities, including Student Representative Council (SRC), Ridgy Didge Buddies playground support program, Year 4 and Year 5 Leadership learning program and Year 6 Student Leadership program

·      PSSA sports and Ridges Zone trials

·      Table tennis competitions

·      Interschool and local sport gala days

·      Creative writing competitions

·      Public Speaking opportunities

·      Participation in whole-school inclusion and wellbeing initiatives, including School Spirit Meetings, Positive Behaviour for Learning and Successful Learner Habits

Across NSW

At Ironbark Ridge Public School, we participate in selected statewide competitions and activities, providing our students with valuable opportunities to challenge themselves and perform at their best. The opportunities we have participated in to support the talent development of our students include:

·      NSW PSSA school sport pathways

·      Australian Problem-Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO)

·      Hills Performing Arts Festival

·      Rotary writing Competition

·      ‘What Matters’ writing comptetion

·      Opportunity Class Network competition - ‘Gifted Games’

·      Slam Poetry State competition

·      Premier’s Debating Challenge

·      South Creek Student Representative Council

·      Metropolitan North Student Representative Council