High potential and gifted education

Some students learn faster and more easily than others. These students may excel in creativity, thinking, leadership, or sport. At our school, we recognise and nurture these strengths early. We support advanced learners with engaging lessons and activities to help them grow and thrive.

In Years 7 and 8, our students are placed in either Mixed Ability or Aspirational classes to best support their learning needs. The Aspirational class is for highly motivated, independent learners who follow the same Stage 4 curriculum as their peers but participate in enrichment activities that foster creativity and problem-solving. Placement is based on assessment results and a student’s ongoing commitment to learning.

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.

In our classroom

Accelerated Mathematics at Colo High School

Colo High School offers an Accelerated Mathematics pathway for students who display consistently strong performance throughout Years 7 and 8. Eligible students undertake the Year 10 Mathematics course during Year 9, while remaining with their same-year peers for class and social engagement. Throughout the program, explicit teacher instruction and guidance remain available; however, success in acceleration also requires students to be intrinsically motivated, highly organised, and able to work independently through advanced concepts.

Benefits of Acceleration include:

Earlier access to advanced mathematical content, opening pathways to senior Mathematics courses and Extension studies.
Development of academic discipline, strengthening independent learning, resilience, and problem-solving skills.
Increased challenge and engagement for high-performing students, ensuring their learning needs are met.
Enhanced readiness for Stage 6, supporting higher achievement and confidence in Years 11 and 12.
Recognition of high potential, providing an opportunity for gifted students to be appropriately extended.

The Accelerated Mathematics program at Colo High School supports and challenges high-performing learners, empowering them to reach beyond standard year-level expectations and to maximise their mathematical potential.

Mathematics Enrichment Program

Colo High School is proud to offer a Mathematics Enrichment program for highly motivated Year 7 students with strong mathematical aptitude and curiosity. Students selected for this program will be withdrawn from regular classes three times per fortnight to engage in advanced problem-solving, mathematical investigations, and collaborative project-based challenges. These sessions will expose students to deeper conceptual thinking beyond the standard curriculum and encourage them to stretch and develop their mathematical reasoning.

This program is designed to foster high-level engagement, perseverance, independent thinking, and a passion for mathematical exploration. It also supports early identification of students who may be suitable for future acceleration pathways, including the Accelerated Mathematics program offered from Year 9.

The Mathematics Enrichment program reflects Colo High School’s commitment to nurturing high-potential learners and providing meaningful opportunities for their continued growth and excellence in Mathematics.

Mathematics Competitions at Colo High School

Throughout the year, students at Colo High School have the opportunity to participate in a range of Mathematics competitions that showcase problem-solving talent, creative thinking, and mathematical resilience. Participation in these competitions helps students extend themselves beyond classroom learning, engage with challenging problems, and experience Mathematics as an exciting and intellectually stimulating discipline.

The opportunities offered include:

Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) – A prestigious national competition that encourages mathematical reasoning, strategic thinking, and creative approaches to problem-solving.
Kangourou Sans Frontières – An international competition that presents fun and unconventional mathematical challenges, promoting lateral reasoning and flexible thinking.
Intermediate Australian Mathematics Olympiad (IAMO) – Invitation-only and offered to students who demonstrate exceptional performance in AMC; this advanced competition encourages deep theoretical thinking and exposure to Olympiad-style mathematics.
New Inter-School Challenge at Springwood High School – A local enrichment opportunity where the top five performing Year 9 and Year 10 students from Colo High compete against neighbouring schools, fostering friendly academic rivalry and mathematical excellence.

Benefits for participating students include:

Strengthening logical and analytical thinking.
Exposure to higher-level, non-routine mathematics.
Development of persistence, creative reasoning, and strategic problem-solving.
Recognition of achievement through certificates and awards.
Opportunities for selection into advanced mathematics pathways such as Olympiad training and Acceleration.
Building academic confidence and a positive mathematical identity.

Colo High School proudly supports and encourages participation in these competitions as an important part of fostering mathematical passion, challenge, and excellence.

Across our school