NSW Government Announcement 11 Nov 2003

The Minister for Education and Training, Dr Andrew Refshauge, in response to a question...

In February the Premier and the former Minister for Education and Training announced the Government's commitment to give more support and encouragement to gifted and talented students in New South Wales. Thousands of gifted and talented students will benefit through the introduction of the academic extension programs that will be provided through all comprehensive high schools commencing in 2005.

The commitment is part of the Government's plan to reinvigorate our local comprehensive high schools to make them the bedrock of the New South Wales education system. Under the plan some 15,000 students will benefit from the new gifted and talented programs in all New South Wales government high schools from 2005.

At present New South Wales leads Australia in relation to such programs. Our programs allow gifted and talented students to move through the curriculum at a faster rate. They enable students to be challenged by more abstract material and to use advanced problem-solving skills. They allow participants to gain a greater depth of knowledge and engage in higher order thinking skills.

I refer to a 13-year-old student, Sean Donovan, who is in year 9 at Tempe High School, in the electorate of the honourable member for Heffron. Last year he completed his 4-unit Higher School Certificate [HSC] mathematics, when he was in year 8. He is now studying university level mathematics by correspondence through the University of New England. He obviously has a significant ability to understand and process numbers. He could do fractions before he entered kindergarten. The local primary school recognised that he was very talented in regard to mathematics. When he was in year 4 he was able to go across the road to Tempe High School to do high school mathematics. He did one year 7 class and it was realised that he was way ahead of that, so he went straight into year 9 mathematics. He was enrolled in year 4 at the primary school at the time. Only last week I awarded him a medal in the twenty-fifth annual Australian Mathematics Competition medals presentation ceremony, along with 35 other Australian students who won a medal.

All over New South Wales our public schools are producing talented students. At the Tamworth High School students regularly accelerate through their courses. In fact, last year two year 12 students undertook distinction courses, one in philosophy and one in modern cosmology. The school fosters a love of learning. The deputy principal said: " Students like Peter and Toby were gifted in many areas. They both also loved music, but they weren't seen as different at school." The school has certainly done well for them.

The expanded program will provide more opportunities to a wider range of students at all high schools around the State. The new draft plan will enable individual schools to develop their own gifted and talented programs to meet the needs of their students. It will provide support for schools to develop and implement the programs by examining the best ways to identify gifted and talented students in schools, provide ideas on curriculum that meet the needs of gifted and talented students, examine the teaching practices for those students, and provide schools with options for planning, implementing and evaluating the programs.

This new plan will provide educational opportunities for an additional 15,000 gifted and talented students from 2005 onwards. It will involve all of the 430 comprehensive high schools across the State. The programs will involve members of the local school community, including teachers, parents and students, in identifying and supporting gifted students.

The Government has now consulted with teachers, parents, community groups and leading world experts to develop policies and resources for the program.

From next year all schools involved will be provided with support to develop and implement their programs. Principals, school staff and parents will decide what type of extension programs are best suited to their school and to their students.

In August the Canadian expert, Professor Francoys Gagne, came to Sydney after attending a conference in Adelaide. He spoke to a number of school principals and made it clear that in regard to gifted and talented students, New South Wales absolutely dominates Australia. We do much better in New South Wales, dramatically better than any other State. In line with the Government's plan, Professor Gagne also highlighted that the top 10 per cent of students, not just the top 1 per cent or the top 2 per cent, should be focused upon in these programs. According to his research, if that is done all the students of a school seem to benefit.

The Government is working through those programs. We are making all of our high schools centres of all-round excellence. Gifted and talented students in New SouthWales get the best opportunities out of all the States. Under this plan they will get even more opportunities.

From Hansard 11 November 2003

Last updated:16/5/07

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