High potential and gifted education

At Verona, High Potential and Gifted Education is embedded within our personalised, strengths-based approach to learning. Every student has a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) that outlines their individual goals, areas of high potential, and preferred pathways, ensuring teaching is responsive to their unique capabilities, learning pace and developmental needs.

Classrooms at Verona are highly differentiated, offering multiple entry points, targeted scaffolds and adjusted expectations that allow all students—including those with high potential—to thrive. Teachers continually use formative assessment to monitor understanding and identify when a student is ready for increased challenge, more abstract thinking, or compacted content. This allows students demonstrating high potential to progress at an accelerated pace or engage with tasks that require deeper reasoning and exploration.

Learning across Verona emphasises hands-on, authentic and creative opportunities where students can apply their strengths. Activities such as artmaking, design projects, 3D printing, gardening, cooking and technology-based tasks allow students to work through complex processes, make decisions, trial solutions and evaluate outcomes. High-potential learners are encouraged to extend their thinking through open-ended tasks, leadership roles during demonstrations, or troubleshooting design challenges for peers.

Music is available as an elective for some senior students, and those with high potential in this domain are supported through performance opportunities at formal assemblies and the redevelopment of effective learning spaces and resources that nurture their talent. Students may practise performance skills, explore composition tools or take on leadership roles during rehearsal and presentation.

Physical learning experiences—including swim school, inter-school gala days, structured fitness sessions and movement-based activities—provide additional avenues for students with high potential in the physical domain. Students who demonstrate strong coordination, agility or game sense may take on modelling roles, lead warm-ups or contribute to team strategy in age-appropriate ways.

Across subjects, flexible grouping supports collaborative inquiry and creative problem-solving while allowing students to contribute from their strengths—whether through generating ideas, leading aspects of a project, building prototypes, or presenting findings. These structures reinforce teamwork, confidence and communication, and provide natural pathways for students with high potential to lead, mentor and extend their learning.

Teachers cultivate safe, supportive learning environments where students are encouraged to take risks, test ideas and reflect on their learning. Strengths-based feedback and structured reflection help students recognise their growth, refine their goals and build perseverance.

At Verona, HPGE is woven through personalised planning, rich tasks, and a culture of high expectations with individualised support. By tailoring learning to each student’s strengths and potential, we ensure that high-potential learners are challenged, extended and celebrated across intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains.

At Verona, we recognise that students show high potential in many ways—intellectually, creatively, socially and physically. Our approach is personalised and strengths-based, ensuring every student can extend their abilities within a safe, supportive learning environment.

Each student has a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) that identifies their strengths and areas of high potential. Classrooms are highly differentiated, with tasks that adjust pace, complexity and depth so students can move forward when they are ready. Hands-on learning through art, design projects, 3D printing, cooking, gardening and technology allows students to think critically, problem-solve and create with increasing independence.

Students with high potential are offered opportunities to lead group activities, support peers, present learning at assemblies or school events, and participate in enrichment experiences such as swim school, inter-school gala days and whole-school cultural celebrations. Senior students with musical talent may also perform at formal assemblies and utilise dedicated learning spaces.

Our wellbeing programs, trauma-informed practices and collaborative routines help students build confidence, leadership and resilience. High-potential learners are supported to take appropriate risks, explore their interests and express their talents across the school.

At Verona, HPGE is woven through everything we do—ensuring every student is challenged, valued and able to thrive.

Verona participates in a range of NSW Department of Education initiatives that allow students with high potential to extend their strengths beyond the classroom.

Our involvement in the Premier’s Sporting Challenge (PSC) supports whole-school engagement in physical activity and provides opportunities for students with high physical potential to demonstrate leadership, teamwork and commitment. Students also engage in our inter-school gala days, which enable them to trial, compete and develop skills in age-appropriate, supported settings.

Students with strong creative or performance interests have opportunities to present their learning at formal assemblies, cultural celebrations and whole-school events, reflecting the Department’s commitment to celebrating student talent across diverse domains.

Through hands-on technology, digital design and problem-solving activities, students engage in learning that aligns with broader system initiatives in STEM and design thinking. These experiences strengthen their curiosity, innovation and collaborative skills, preparing them for more complex system-level enrichment opportunities in future years. Our collaborations with VET, RIEP and TAFE are currently being worked on, and we can wait to share what we have on offer in 2026.

Our wellbeing and mentoring practices reflect the Department’s emphasis on connection, resilience and personalised pathways. Students are supported by trusted adults, multidisciplinary teams and community partners, enabling them to build confidence, motivation and interpersonal skills—an essential component of the social-emotional HPGE domain.

Together, these system-aligned opportunities ensure that students at Verona can participate meaningfully in supported pathways, experience success, and have their strengths recognised beyond the local school context.