New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
Western Australia
South Australia
New South Wales
Some programs for particularly bright students amount to partial streaming. A number of New South Wales primary schools offer Opportunity Classes for high-achieving students in Years 5 and 6. These classes follow the same general curriculum as mainstream classes, but offer students new challenges through extension and give them the opportunity to learn with other academically gifted students.
Many schools across all sectors run their own extension or acceleration programs, either for specific areas of ability or the curriculum as a whole. High achievers in Years 11 and 12 may also be able to take an extension unit at tertiary level through the HSC–University Pathways for Talented Students program run by the University of New England and Macquarie University. These units are undertaken on a university campus or through distance education and might cover areas as broad as mathematics, biology, history or law. Interested students should discuss the programs with their school. Students completing these programs will generally be awarded credit if they continue with the discipline at university level, although these studies are separate from the HSC and do not contribute towards the ATAR.
Queensland
Some programs for particularly bright students amount to partial streaming. Many schools across all sectors run their own extension or acceleration programs, either for specific areas of ability or the curriculum as a whole. High achievers in Year 12 may also be able to take an extension unit at tertiary level. These units are offered by most Queensland universities in a range of areas and allow students to earn points towards their QCE and maximise their Overall Position (OP), the ranking used to determine university entrance. Students completing extension units will generally be awarded credit if they continue with the discipline at university level. Interested students should discuss these programs with their school.
Victoria
Some programs for particularly bright students amount to partial streaming. The Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) program allows gifted students to complete Years 7 to 10 in three years, and is offered at 36 government schools. Students may then choose to complete a wider range of VCE studies or graduate early.
Many schools run their own extension or acceleration programs, either for specific areas of ability or the curriculum as a whole. High achievers in Years 11 and 12 may also be able to take an extension unit at tertiary level. These units are undertaken on a university campus, at school or through distance education and might cover areas as broad as philosophy, media studies, biology or
languages. Students are invited into these programs by their schools according to guidelines set by the universities. These studies do not count towards the requirements for VCE completion, but they are included in the calculation of a student’s ATAR — the score used to obtain entry into tertiary study. Students completing extension units will generally be awarded credit if they continue with the discipline at university level.
Western Australia
Primary Extension and Challenge (PEAC) is a part-time program for children in Years 5 and 6 attending government primary schools. The program offers students the opportunity to interact with other gifted and talented peers, participate in a challenging and rigorous academic program, develop investigative and high-order process skills, and learn from practicing experts. Students are selected in Year 4 based on results from assessment tests, teacher and parent nominations, and other relevant criteria.
For students in Years 7 to 12, gifted and talented programs are offered at 18 government secondary schools across Western Australia. Students participate in a selective academic, arts or languages program, studying an enriched curriculum with access to universities, industry bodies, industry professionals and mentoring programs. To gain admission to gifted and talented
programs, students need to sit the Academic Selective Entrance Test. Some programs also require an audition, interview or workshop.
Visit the
Department of Education website for more information about gifted and talented education in Western Australia.
South Australia
South Australian schools run programs for gifted and talented students as part of the standard curriculum. A number of schools offer specialised courses for students who have a special interest, are well ahead of their peers, or demonstrate talent in a particular area.
Another option is Ignite, an accelerated learning program for gifted students. It allows students to complete Years 8, 9 and 10 in two years by completing subjects at a faster rate, rather than skipping grades. It is currently offered in three South Australian schools:
Some gifted and talented students may require an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to guide their learning. IEPs may be required for students meeting criteria such enrolling early in kindergarten or school, having learning difficulties or disabilities, or needing social or emotional support.
Students interested in developing physical education skills and progressing to related careers can attend one of the state’s specialist sports schools. Two schools,
Wirreanda Secondary School and
Henley High School, offer a program for talented student athletes that results in the completion of a certificate qualification. Some schools conduct intensive sports programs in conjunction with the relevant state-based association. Programs currently exist for baseball, netball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. See the
Department for Education and Child Development website for details.
