High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

We use formative assessment tools and evidence-informed teaching practices to monitor student growth and identify students’ individual learning needs, talents and areas of interest.

Tasks and activities are carefully designed to provide the correct level of challenge and extension for all students, ensuring everyone can progress and succeed.

Learning pathways are available for students, including enrichment, extension programs and acceleration opportunities, so that students are supported and extended according to their strengths and interests.

Students are provided with meaningful opportunities to apply their learning, which helps enrich their skills and deepen their understanding of content across all subject areas.

Our classrooms provide a safe and supportive environment that actively encourages students to develop confidence, take risks in their learning and persevere through challenges.

We use flexible grouping and partner work to foster collaboration and build positive relationships among students, helping them learn from one another and work effectively in teams.

Through continuous monitoring and personalised learning experiences, we ensure that all students are recognised as individuals and are challenged, extended, and supported to achieve their full potential.

Across our school

Our school is dedicated to identifying and supporting students with high potential across all High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) domains — Academic, Physical, Creative and Social/Emotional. We provide targeted enrichment, extension and extra-curricular opportunities designed to nurture and challenge these students. Activities include debating, public speaking, STEM programs, dance groups, music ensembles such as training, intermediate, senior and jazz bands, recorder, choir and leadership opportunities including SRC, peer mentoring, and student leadership team.

Narrabeen Lakes Public School is a proud member of The NEST — The Narrabeen Elanora Student and Teacher Collaboration, which involves Narrabeen North PS, Elanora Heights PS, Narrabeen Lakes PS and Narrabeen Sports High School. This innovative, purpose-driven, and community-based initiative focuses on creating opportunities for students to engage in select activities that promote problem-solving skills, collaborative work and both critical and creative thinking.

Beyond these, we offer our high potential and gifted students participation in a wide variety of enrichment activities, such as the Premier's Reading Challenge, Premier's Spelling Bee, Public Speaking competitions, Maths Olympiad and interschool sports teams. These programs and activities are carefully selected to support students’ development holistically, encouraging growth in academic excellence, creativity, leadership, physical engagement, and social-emotional skills.

Across NSW

Many students represent our school, region and even the State.

• PSSA Knockout competitions
• Athletics, Cross Country and Swimming
• Festival of Instrumental Music
• Festival of Choral Music
• Network SRC
• Operation Art

Academic Domain

Debating

State-wide competition open to all New South Wales government schools from Years 5–12, designed to develop students’ reasoning and public-speaking skills.

Multicultural Public Speaking Competition

Competition encourages primary school students to explore ideas of multiculturalism in Australia while they practise their public speaking skills and improve their confidence.

Premier's Spelling Bee
An annual competition for students in NSW public, community and central schools, designed for Years 3–4 (junior) and Years 5–6 (senior). It aims to boost vocabulary, spelling proficiency and literacy engagement through in-school heats, regional finals and a state final.

The NEST - Year 3 'The Hatchery'

Students experiment with simple machines using a range of materials and equipment to solve real-world problems introduced by a STEM industry expert by working in small groups to plan, design, construct, test and improve engineering design solutions.

The NEST - Year 5 'Flying Though Time'

Students explore how people lived in the Roman Empire through an investigation of historical sources. They will be challenged to consider not only what we know, but how we know about the past. Applying new skills, students will work hands-on with Roman objects to unravel a History Mystery and solve an archaeological puzzle.

The NEST - Year 5 'Crack the Case'

Students learn and apply a range of science skills to solve a mystery, including: using a microscope, understanding and extracting DNA, paper chromatography, analysis and dissection of a (model) brain, code breaking and more.

The NEST - Year 6 'Sundials'

Students will work in small groups with a high school mentor to investigate the many ways civilisations have used the sun to decode the mysteries of time, seasons and more, before then constructing their own solar-powered time device: a sundial.

Year 6 - Creative Writing Workshop

A fantastic creative writing workshop for our Year 6 students run by Narrabeen Sports High School. The engaging sessions helped improve students’ writing skills, provided EHPS teachers with fresh ideas for the classroom, and give the high school teachers valuable insight into the students they’ll be teaching next year.

School Clubs

Chess and Lego Club

Physical Domain

Pittwater PSSA Interschool Sport Competitions

PSSA (Primary Schools Sports Association) interschool sport competitions provide students with opportunities to represent their our school in a range of team and individual sports against other local schools. These competitions promote sportsmanship, teamwork and physical skill development while fostering school spirit and community engagement.

NSWPSSA Knockouts

The NSWPSSA knockout competitions are statewide school sport events where teams compete in an elimination format across a range of sports. They provide talented students with opportunities to represent our school and showcase their skills at progressively higher levels of competition.

NSWPSSA School Sport Representative Pathways

Offers students opportunities to progress from school-based sport to zone, regional, state and national levels of competition. These pathways recognise and develop talented athletes across a wide range of sports, promoting excellence, fair play, and participation in representative school sport.

Creative Domain

The NEST Musical Extravaganza

Students from the Bands and Choir perform at this joint school initiative which showcases their respective talents.

Band Program

Provides students in Years 3-6 with an exciting opportunity to explore and develop their musical talents. With a wide range of instruments to choose from, including woodwind, brass and percussion. Students can find the instrument that best suits their interests and strengths.

The program features Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Jazz Bands, catering to all levels of experience. Band members perform regularly at school assemblies, concerts and community events, showcasing their hard work and enthusiasm for music.

Choir

Made up of students in Years 2-6, they perform at school events as well as participating in the Combined Schools Musical and the Sydney North Music Festival.

Recorder Group

Made up of students in Years 2-6, they perform at school events.

Operation Art

Operation Art is an exciting annual program that celebrates the creativity of our students. Selected artworks from schools across NSW are showcased in exhibitions and published in a state-wide calendar, giving young artists a unique opportunity to share their talents with the community. Through Operation Art, we inspire and encourage students to express themselves and develop a lifelong love of art.

Social/Emotional Domain

Halogen Young Leaders' Conference

Year 6 students, in formals leadership positions, attend this annual event. This is Australia's largest gathering of young leaders, providing a unique opportunity for our students to mix with like minded peers to hear some of Australia's most high profile people share insights from their own leadership journey.

The NEST - SRC and Student Leadership Forums

The SRC and Leadership Forums brings together student leaders from all schools. Supported by teachers, students collaborate on projects that strengthen their leadership skills, enhance school culture, and enrich student life. Through these initiatives, they build meaningful connections and foster positive change within their school communities.

Peer Support

Our Peer Support Program empowers students to build positive relationships, develop leadership skills and foster a supportive school community. Through structured activities and mentoring, older students guide and encourage younger peers, promoting confidence, respect and teamwork. This program helps create a safe and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and supported.

Student Representative Council

The Student Representative Council (SRC) gives students a voice in school decisions and fosters leadership skills. SRC members represent their peers, organise events and contribute to making our school community inclusive and vibrant. Through collaboration and advocacy, SRC encourages responsibility, teamwork and active participation in school life.