High potential and gifted education (HPGE)

Recognising potential and developing talent

Our highly skilled teachers are experts at identifying each student’s unique strengths and abilities. We draw on a wide range of data—including Best Start assessments, NAPLAN results, progressive check-ins, and formal assessments—to gain a deep understanding of every child. This enables us to create personalised pathways that extend and accelerate learning exactly where it’s needed most.

Tailored, challenging and engaging lessons

No two gifted learners are the same. Our teachers differentiate every day, providing appropriately challenging work that keeps bright minds fully engaged. Lessons are designed to be intellectually stimulating, creatively demanding, and connected to real-world contexts so students see the relevance and power of what they are learning.

A rich and diverse co-curricular program

Talent flourishes when it has room to grow. Our students enjoy an exceptional range of academic, creative, performing arts, sporting, and leadership opportunities both during the school day and in our vibrant boarding community. From extension programs and competitions to special-interest clubs and performances, there is something to ignite every passion.

Opening doors through a powerful network

As soon as your child joins our school, they become part of the proud Old Yanconian family—a global network of successful alumni eager to mentor and inspire the next generation. Students are connected with professionals and leaders across a huge variety of fields, gaining invaluable insights, career guidance, and real-life lessons from those who have walked the path before them.

In our classroom

At Yanco Agricultural High School, high potential and gifted learners are at the heart of everything we do in the classroom and beyond. Our approach is deliberate, evidence-based, and deeply personalised, ensuring every gifted mind is continually challenged, supported, and inspired.

In Every Classroom

• Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, depth, and complexity, with a strong emphasis on higher-order thinking, creativity, and sophisticated problem-solving.
• Ongoing formative assessment so teachers can track individual growth in real time and instantly adapt learning pathways.
• Explicit instruction in advanced critical thinking, reasoning, and creative problem-solving strategies that gifted learners can apply across disciplines.
• Rich opportunities for abstraction, deep inquiry, and curriculum compaction, allowing students to move beyond the standard curriculum into advanced concepts and independent research when ready.
• Flexible, ability-based grouping that brings like-minded peers together for collaborative ideation, debate, project work, and high-level presentations.
• A Culture That Celebrates Intellectual Risk-Taking, where questioning is encouraged, mistakes are valued as learning opportunities, and perseverance is celebrated.
• Regular strengths-based feedback and collaborative goal-setting so students understand their unique abilities and how to push them further.

Extending Beyond the Classroom – Especially in Boarding Gifted students in our boarding community have additional avenues to shine:

• Leadership roles in house activities, peer mentoring programs, and student-led initiatives.
• Evening and weekend extension opportunities including masterclasses or tutorials, debates, research projects, and special-interest clubs that run alongside the regular boarding program.

Across our school

Intellectual & Creative Pursuits

• Highly competitive debating team
• Strong representation in academic competitions (World Skills, and more)
• Outstanding music ensembles, in the form of Yanco Agricultural Drumline
• Visual arts showcases and exhibitions celebrating student creativity

Our Highly Prized Agricultural Program

• Top-performing teams in livestock judging, parading, meat and wool judging and auctioneering
• Consistent state and national champions in cattle and sheep, steer competitions, and industry events
• A proven pathway to vocational scholarships and careers in agricultural science, agribusiness, veterinary science, and rural leadership

Sport & Physical Excellence

• Elite sport teams across a wide variety of disciplines
• Fiercely contested House competitions that build camaraderie, resilience, and school spirit

Leadership & Service

• An active Student Representative Council (SRC) where gifted students often take leading roles in shaping school life
• Dorm Prefect program within boarding, giving senior HPGE students the chance to guide and inspire younger boarders
• Numerous formal and informal leadership opportunities that develop confidence, responsibility, and initiative

Wellbeing & Belonging

• Comprehensive wellbeing programs tailored to the social and emotional needs of bright learners

Across NSW

Science, Technology & Innovation

• Annual participation and strong results in the NSW STEM Challenge, where students design real-world solutions, deepen intellectual curiosity, and collaborate under pressure
• Multiple entries into Shape, which is the selection of outstanding major projects by HSC Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design students in NSW.

Music & Performance

• National representatives in the Australian Drumline Championships

Representative Sport

• A proud tradition of students progressing through the NSW CHS pathways to represent the Riverina, NSW Combined High Schools, and Australian school teams in a wide range of sports
• State and national titles across individual and team disciplines

Industry & Vocational Excellence

• Multiple WorldSkills Australia gold medallists and national champions in Primary Industries – proof that our hands-on, high-ability learners excel when provided with industry leading knowledge, coupled with authentic hands on opportunities.
• Cattle Sheep Studs and program that has resulted in array of ribbons at local and Royal shows for our livestock and students participating in a variety of competitions.
• Our Equestrian team has secured the best presented large school trophy at the North-West Equestrian Expo for three years running. Students have excelled in a range of disciplines including dressage, showjumping and polocrosse.

Mentoring & Networks

• Structured connections with trusted mentors, including Old Yanconians and industry leaders, giving students the guidance, confidence, and real-world insights gifted young people crave.

Yanco engagement for success (Y.E.S.) program

The Y.E.S. Program is a simple, positive and highly effective way we keep students, teachers and families working together towards personal best effort and achievement.

What is Y.E.S.? Approximately twice a term, every classroom teacher completes a quick 1–10 rating for each student based on their level of active engagement in lessons and with lesson material. This includes factors such as effort, focus, participation, organisation, behaviour, and contribution to class activities.

Why it works so well

• Students receive clear, regular feedback on the habits that lead to success – far more often than semester reports alone.
• It celebrates consistent effort and positive choices, not just academic results.
• Parents receive the update roughly twice a term, giving an up-to-date “snapshot” of how their child is travelling.
• Early dips in engagement can be noticed and addressed straight away, long before they become bigger issues.