High potential and gifted education

South Sydney High School creates a supportive and stimulating environment where high-potential and gifted students can thrive and develop into confident, capable individuals. Our program offers potential selective high school students the high academic standards they seek through programs like our enrichment stream, but in a co-educational, socially cohesive and community-focused setting.

Our approach ensures that every student receives tailored support from their class teachers and school leaders, working closely with the wellbeing team, year coordinators, and school counsellor to meet individual learning and wellbeing needs.

• Our school follows an explicit teaching approach, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving strategies and providing opportunities for abstraction, inquiry, and depth in the curriculum.
• Our supportive classroom environments promote a sense of belonging and encourage risk-taking, creativity and collaboration.
• We provide learning environments that enable exploration and self-assessment, creating a safe environment that encourages confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance.
• Classes have differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking, followed by formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning.
• South Sydney High School offers an Enrichment Stream that groups gifted and high-potential students to learn collaboratively. This stream provides a differentiated curriculum that deepens knowledge and skills through inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

At South Sydney High School, we recognise that every student is unique and offer flexible, diverse opportunities for our high potential, gifted and engaged students to explore and develop their strengths both within and beyond the classroom.

All students are encouraged to take on leadership roles through involvement in the student representative council, mentoring programs, and by leading major school events such as ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day, and NAIDOC assemblies. These opportunities foster confidence, communication skills, and community engagement.

Our extracurricular programs provide rich avenues for growth:

• The Duke of Edinburgh Award program supports students in building new skills, improving physical health, and contributing through community volunteering as they work towards Bronze, Silver, or Gold awards.
• Students involved in our knock-out sports teams receive specialised support balancing high-level competitive sports with academic and leadership pathways.
• Creative Arts students benefit from workshops, excursions to premier galleries such as The Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and performance opportunities in ensembles, choirs, and productions. Our stage crew provides experience in technical roles supporting these events. Students also participate in prestigious Department of Education arts programs as well at CAPA Showcases.
• For academically advanced learners, we offer a variety of learning experiences including the Enrichment Stream in years 7-10 and Extension courses in years 11 & 12.
• Leadership and peer support are cultivated through programs such as the Student Representative Council, Leadership team, Volunteer and Ambassadors program. These programs enhance emotional intelligence and promote a school culture of care, opportunity and respect.
• South Sydney Club for Intelligent Minds (SSCIM) is a high-potential, gifted education and enrichment initiative that offers opportunities beyond the classroom for students to undertake projects, enter competitions and gain recognition and mentoring at school for their areas of passion. All students are welcome to attend SSCIM club to pursue their passions and interests. As an extension of our SSCIM club, we run SSCIM camps to facilitate student-driven project-based learning in a setting that offers students the resources, time, and mentorship to pursue initiatives that extend and challenge them in their areas of special aptitude and interest.
• At South Sydney High School, we pride ourselves on enabling students to become  what  they want to be, as well as  who  they want to be. So, we have partnered with Big Picture Learning Australia to offer a personalised design for learning in high school that gives students choice and decision-making opportunities, while organising school quite differently. In Big Picture, students learn through their interests, with each student developing a personalised learning plan in consultation with their family and teacher.

Together, these offerings create a vibrant, inclusive environment that nurtures the talents and potential of every student across our school community.

Our students can participate in a wide range of state-wide programs that aim to extend and enrich student potential.

• South Sydney High School continues to prioritise sporting participation in a multitude of competitions including gala days, combined high schools knock out competitions and selection through to zone, regional and state carnivals.
• South Sydney High School students participate in ICAS English, Mathematics and Science, University of Wollongong Learning Labs, NSW Geography and History Competitions.
• The Premier’s Sporting Challenge promotes whole-school participation in physical activity with leadership pathways and collaborative learning. Students reflect and share their learning, so experiences build knowledge and character, contributing to the identity of themselves and their school.